


The Ballad of Jim and Bones

by neko_fish



Series: The Ballad Series [1]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M, Tree!Bones, Trees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-25
Updated: 2013-01-29
Packaged: 2017-11-26 20:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/654101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neko_fish/pseuds/neko_fish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was the summer of 1985 when young Jim Kirk's life changed forever. After tumbling down a hill, deep in the woods, he ended up receiving help from the most unlikely people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: First Star Trek fic and many thanks to castofone for beta-ing this fic!

Chapter 1:  
  
The first time he met them, Jim had been a mere child at the time.  
  
It was summer vacation time and his family had just arrived at the small town where their summer cabin was. Every year, it was the same thing, but he didn’t mind. For one thing, it meant he got to spend time with his mother (and usually his stepfather too), busy with her job as she was, and for another, it meant getting away from Uncle Frank. Over an hour away from town, the cabin was tiny and felt isolated from the world, surrounded by wilderness on every side as far as the eye could see. The best part was that it was one of the few places where he was allowed to go off and explore anywhere he wanted on his own on the simple condition that he made it back in time for dinner.  
  
On that particular afternoon, the sun was bright and the sky was free of clouds. He let his legs decide his destination and found himself running up the hill as fast as could go, passing all the trees and shrubbery. Although he’d been running around the woods around the cabin ever since he’d been old enough to be out on his own, he’d never seen  _this_  particular hill before. Feeling nothing but exhilaration and excitement at the prospect of exploring uncharted territory, he forged ahead. His lungs were burning for air as the top came into view, but the idea of making it all the way up without stopping made him grin stupidly and ignore the protest in his chest.  
  
Shooting past the peak, he expected the hill to plateau out. But instead, the hill dropped downwards so sharply that he went flying for a moment or two. Legs no longer in control, he began tumbling down the hill, the world spinning around him as he went.  
  
He had no idea when or where he stopped rolling, all he knew was that the world was still whirling around him and his lungs were still angry at him for his earlier accomplishment which didn’t seem quite as impressive now that he was lying on the ground, writhing in pain. Groaning, he waited for the world to settle down and the pain set in as he continued wheezing for air. Tears were pricking at his eyes, partly from the waves of pain crashing against him and partly from the burning in his throat. He would’ve cried and wailed, but there was no one around to hear it so he refrained, not wanting to emotionally exhaust himself needlessly.  
  
Then unexpectedly, a figure appeared and hovered above him, voice thick with concern, “My god, kid! You just came barrelling out of nowhere! Are you alright? Stop wheezing like that, it’s not going to help anyone. Just calm down and take deep breaths. Come on now, one breath at a time. Breathe in and out. That’s good. In and out.”  
  
After taking a couple deep breaths, the burning protest in his lungs finally stopped enough for his brain to focus again. Sitting up, he winced at all the scratches and cuts he was now covered in. Sure, he had worse before, but it still hurt. Flexing his scratched up hands, his eyes began watering again. “Ow...”  
  
The stranger stood up and huffed crossly, in a typical adult tone. “Ow is right. Are you out of your inchoate mind? Wait, don’t answer that. No sane person would’ve thrown themselves down a hill like that. Look at yourself, you’re a mess! But on the bright side, it doesn’t look like anything’s broken. Do have a death wish, kid!?”  
  
Now that he was able to think straight, he could hear a distinct southern accent in the other’s voice. Looking up, he saw a gruff looking man with dark brown hair and hazel eyes, wearing an old looking shirt not unlike the ones he saw a couple times in museums. He would’ve felt more intimidated if his intelligence hadn’t just been questioned, causing him to scowl. “If you must know, I didn’t throw myself down on purpose. It was an  _accident_. I was running up the hill and didn’t know it’d suddenly end like that. Who are you anyways, mister?”  
  
The question made the man pause. Then, in a calmer tone, the brunet answered, “McCoy, Leonard McCoy. You can just call me Leonard if you want. So can you get up, kid?”  
  
“My name’s not kid! It’s James Tiberius Kirk, though most people just call me Jim. I’m staying in a cabin nearby for the summer with my mom and stepdad. And for your information, I’m already 11 years old!” he replied with an indignant frown and pushed himself up, straightening his back as if to make a point.  
  
The man made a noise that was somewhere between a scoff and a brief chuckle, not that either of those was the response Jim was hoping for. “Sure, kid. Hey, see that tree over there? Go grab a couple leaves, get a rock and mash them until they turn into pulp, and then rub it on your cuts. It’ll speed up the healing process and work as an antiseptic and stop them from getting infected by germs and god knows what else.”  
  
Though he heard of people grinding medicine out of plants decades ago, he was pretty sure that no one practiced medicine like that anymore. The idea of making his own ointment might’ve sounded new and exciting, but for all he knew, the man was crazy. He eyed the stranger skeptically and asked, “And just how do you know if these leaves will help? What are you, a doctor?”  
  
Leonard’s eyebrow twitched in response. “I used to be one.”  
  
Jim took a moment to study the other for a moment before shrugging. More or less convinced by the man’s words, he walked over and grabbed a handful of leaves. Then sitting down, he put the leaves on a stone nearby and grabbed a smaller rock to begin pounding them. As he did so, he continued talking, “So what do you mean used to be? With the way you said it, it sounds like you’re not one right now. Why’d you stop? Were you no good at your job? Is that why you’re hiding in the woods?”  
  
The man chuckled and shook his head. “Children, they’ll never change... If you must know, kid, I was very good at my job. I’d prescribe you other ointments but we don’t exactly have access to them around here, so these leaves are the next best thing. And I’m not hiding, I live here.” He crouched down to take a closer look at Jim’s handiwork. “That’s it. Just keep at it a little longer and it should be good.”  
  
He huffed impatiently. “Why can’t  _you_  do this? My hands are sore and I bet you’d be faster at it.”  
  
“I would, but I’m afraid I can’t.”  
  
“Why can’t you? I thought you said you were a good doctor?” He frowned, trying to goad Leonard into doing his bidding. When he didn’t get an immediate answer, he stopped and announced loudly, “I’m not going to grind these up unless you tell me! We have Polysporin back at the cabin.”  
  
“I  _was_  a good doctor. And what the hell’s Polysporin?” Leonard rubbed the back of his neck, clearly trying to come up with a decent explanation. “Look, kid, I’d like to help you, but I just can’t touch things the way you do. It’d probably be easier for me to demonstrate what I mean. Here, watch.” He reached out for the rock only to have his hand pass through the rock and Jim’s hand.  
  
Giving a start, he could only stare at the man with widened eyes. “Are you a ghost?”  
  
“No, not exactly. Now before you get too scared and run off, you better keep grinding those leaves. I’ll haunt you or something if you don’t apply it to your cuts like I told you to,” the man growled his threat light-heartedly. The doctor-like tone and the southern drawl undermined any fright Jim might’ve felt.  
  
“I wasn’t scared! You just surprised me, that’s all! Besides, your hand passed through everything just now, so it’s not like you’d be able to hurt me or anything.” Slowly, he resumed his task. “So what do you mean you’re not exactly a ghost? You have to be  _something_.”  
  
The man shrugged unhelpfully. “Maybe I’ll show you after you finish up here. That looks pretty good. Now just apply it to your cuts. It might sting a little but that’ll go away pretty quickly.”  
  
Blue eyes widened as Jim let out an immediate protest. “You never said it’d  _sting_!”  
  
“Yeah, well, it’s better than letting those cuts get infected.” Large hazel eyes watched him seriously as Leonard began talking about the horrors of untreated wounds. “If you develop gangrene, within days, your limbs will start festering and swelling and brown fluid will start oozing out from underneath your skin. Then they’ll start turning into different shades of brown then green until you finally have to saw it off completely just to stop the infection from spreading to your organs. It happens, trust me.”  
  
He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the over descriptive images. “That’s really gross.”  
  
The man nodded in agreement. “You bet it is. It’s even worse seeing it in real life.”  
  
“I don’t doubt that. But I don’t think it’d happen to me.”  
  
Like all children, he thought himself as invincible.  
  
Deciding to take a different approach, the brunet stood there, arms crossed, unwilling to budge on the subject. “Well, fine. But I’m not going to show you how I am only ‘sorta a ghost’ until you do as I say. This is for your own good, kid.”  
  
Tempted as he was to simply throw everything down and run, curiosity quickly won over.  
“Fine, I’ll do it! But I won’t be happy doing it!”  
  
Reluctantly, he rubbed the ointment over all the cuts the not-quite-a-ghost pointed out, whining at the sharp stinging sensation to which Leonard simply replied with “You’ll live, Jimboy. A little suffering’s good for the soul.”  
  
When he was finally finished, he wiped his hands on his pants and crossed his arms, sticking his chest out triumphantly. “There! All done! Are you happy?  _Now_  will you show me what you meant? I’ll keep following you around everywhere if I have to!”  
  
The brunet raised a brow in surprise. “You’re really planning on following me into the woods?”  
  
Suddenly fearful that the man was going back on his word, he quickly asked, “Yeah, why not?”  
  
“Hasn’t your mama ever told you not to follow strangers?”  
  
He rolled his eyes. “Oh. Sure she has, but you’re not a stranger anymore and you can’t even touch me. Besides, you promised! You gave your word so you can’t go back on it now.”  
  
Leonard heaved an exaggeratedly loud sigh though his eyes reflected nothing but amusement. Waving his hand, he gestured for Jim to follow. “Fine, I guess you have a point there. A deal’s a deal and you upheld your end of the bargain so I’ll uphold mine. Come along then, kid.”  
  
Excitement swelling in his chest once more, Jim quickly ran to follow the man. As they walked, he couldn’t help but notice that the man, as solid as he seemed, had no shadow, even when sunlight snuck through the trees and directly onto them.  
  
They walked for less than a minute when they stopped in front of a tree. He furrowed his brows in confusion and began looking around. “Is this some kind of trick? What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”  
  
Standing next to a tall deciduous tree, the man crossed his arms and nodded at it. “Say hello. This is me...in some ways.”  
  
Jim blinked, trying to comprehend the other’s words. “Are you saying that you’re a tree?”  
  
The man tilted his head side to side, trying to decide on an answer. “Yes and no... It’s a little more complicated than that.”  
  
He protested at the vague reply, “You can’t answer like that. I asked you a yes or no question.” Then his eyes lit up. “Oh! Are you a tree fairy?” If that was the case, then the idea didn’t sound ridiculous to him at all.  
  
The doctor stared at him incredulously. “A  _tree fairy_? Does it  _look_  like I have damn butterfly wings sprouting out my back?”  
  
Jim shrugged, unfazed by the man’s reaction. “Fine, not a fairy then. But you’re attached to the tree, right? So are you the spirit of the tree?”  
  
Leonard blinked and took a long moment to think before answering, “Yeah, sure. That sounds about right, so let’s just go with that answer for now.”  
  
“So if I touch the tree, you’ll feel it? Can you feel this?” He rapped on the trunk of the tree lightly with his fist.  
  
The man eyebrow twitched again, a reaction he found very amusing. “Yes. Stop it.”  
  
Grinning, Jim wrapped his arms around the tree and squeezed as tight as he could. “Can you feel this? You’re really cold!”  
  
Rolling his eyes, the man shook his head in exasperation. “Well, trees aren’t exactly warm blooded things, now are they?”  
  
Then a woman’s voice called out from the woods. “Leonard? Who are you talking to?”  
  
The two of them looked over at the woman approaching them, dressed in a high-collared dress that was slimming around the waist and looked about as old as Leonard’s suit. She had long black hair, neatly tied into a ponytail that swayed to and fro as she walked. Tall and beautiful, she moved with such grace that Jim could only stare. He might’ve only been a child, but he knew how to appreciate beauty and grace when he saw it.  
  
Clearly acquainted with each other, Leonard nodded his greeting, suddenly five times more polite than before. “Hello, Nyota. I was just talking to Jim here. He rolled down the hill over there and roughed himself up something good. I just happened to be in the neighbourhood so I decided to check on him in case he broke something. Jim, this is Nyota Uhura. She used to be a singer.”  
  
They were both clearly waiting to see what kind of reaction he’d have. Jim didn’t quite understand it, but decided that there was nothing to lose by being polite. His mother did always tell him that he should be polite to people he didn’t know well. “Hi, my name’s Jim Kirk! It’s nice to meet you, ma’am! I think you have a really pretty name, Miss Uhura!”  
  
Whatever tension that was there a moment ago dissipated with his words.  
  
Leonard snorted in amusement. “Sweet talking thing, ain’t he?”  
  
Ignoring the comment, he continued introducing himself. “I’m staying around here with my family for the summer! I rolled down the hill by accident, but I’m all better now since he,” Jim huffed pointedly at the man, “made me rub stuff all over my cuts. It stung really bad for a bit but it’s okay now.”  
  
The woman curled her lips into the slightest smile. “Once a sawbones, always a sawbones, hmm? It’s nice to meet you, young Jim Kirk. May I ask why you’re hugging Leonard?”  
  
Quickly letting go of the tree, he smiled sheepishly at the woman. “He said he could feel it when I touched the tree so I wanted to see if it was true. By the way, what’s a sawbones?”  
  
Nyota had a serene expression on her face as she explained to him, “It’s another word for surgeon. Leonard has told you, hasn’t he? He used to be a doctor; a very good one at that.”  
  
“He  _did_  tell me. I wasn’t sure if he was telling me the truth, but since you’re saying the same thing, I guess it has to be true!” Then he noticed her lack of shadow and asked, “Miss Uhura, are you a tree spirit too? You don’t have a shadow either.”  
  
She blinked, clearly taken aback by the sudden question. “A tree spirit?” Glancing over at Leonard who simply shrugged in response, she nodded slowly. “A tree spirit…I’ve never really thought of it like that. But I suppose that’s a good a way of phrasing it as any.” Then she turned to Leonard with a combination of amusement and bewilderment. “You have a talent for attracting the most…colourful personalities, don’t you?”  
  
“You mean troublemakers. Come on, you can just say it, you know? I guess it comes naturally; must be my excellent bedside manner.”  
  
Jim smiled easily, unfazed by talking to supposed ethereal beings. “So how many of you are there in this forest?”  
  
Leonard shrugged again. “Oh, there’s probably a good number of us, I’d say.” Then he frowned. “You better not go around town blabbing about us though. We enjoy our privacy here. Having groups of people wandering around looking for ‘tree spirits’ wouldn’t exactly be ideal for us - on the assumption that they believe you, of course. Imagine if someone decided to come in with an axe and chop us down or something.”  
  
Jim nodded, eyes wide at the thought of them being chopped down. Solemnly, he promised, “I swear on my life that I won’t tell anyone about you guys, Bones!”  
  
The woman raised a brow and curled her lips upwards in amusement once more. “Bones?”  
  
Pleased with himself, he grinned. “Yeah! He’s a sawbones, right? I’ll just call him ‘Bones’ for short; it sounds better than calling him ‘Leonard’ anyways!”  
  
The man’s eyebrow shot up (he was beginning to suspect that it was a tree spirit thing) and scowled. “What’s wrong with the name Leonard? And  _‘Bones’_  of all things? Dammit, Jim, you can’t just go around assigning me nicknames!”  
  
He jutted his lower lip out stubbornly. “Yes, I can!”  
  
Leonard sighed in defeat. “What about ‘Miss Uhura’ then? Why don’t you give her a nice nickname too?”  
  
“My mom said that it’s not proper and girls will misunderstand if you call them anything but their names.”  
  
Nyota nodded in agreement, shooting the doctor a triumphant look. “Your mama’s a smart woman then.”  
  
Snorting, the brunet rolled his eyes though there was no animosity in his voice. “Unbelievable. I can’t believe we just met and you two are teaming up against me already. You’re going to make all my leaves fall out early.”  
  
“Oh please, Leonard. You exaggerate. If you hair hasn’t turned white after all those years, I think your leaves will be just fine. Until winter anyways.”  
  
\--  
  
After a while, Bones tilted his head up and glanced at the sky. “It looks like the sun’s going to set soon. You’d best be on your way home, kid. Wouldn’t want you to get lost out here in the woods or anything now. Do you know how to make your way back home on your own?”  
  
Blue eyes followed the man’s gaze and realized that he was right, but he was reluctant to leave his new friends behind. “I’ll find my way back just fine. I know these woods pretty well.” Then frowning, he asked seriously, “If I come back tomorrow, you guys will still be here, right?”  
  
The brunet snorted at his question. “We won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, kid. Just make sure you don’t come tumbling down the hill again.”  
  
Grinning toothily now, he dipped his head in agreement. “I promise I won’t! I’ll see you tomorrow then! Bye, Miss Uhura and Bones!”  
  
He waved, turned towards the hill and began running back the way he came. From behind him, he could hear Leonard calling after him, “Dammit, Jim! Didn’t you learn your lesson about running up hills the first time!?”  
  
\--  
  
On his way back, he created makeshift landmarks from fallen branches and rocks on the ground to make sure that he’d be able to find his way back tomorrow. He didn’t want to scratch marks onto trees like he used to anymore, just in case there was a person residing in it.  
  
When he got back to the cabin, his mother nearly put him under house arrest for the rest of summer when she saw all the cuts and bruises he acquired. With her constant absence due to her job, she never had the chance to pay as close attention to him as most other mothers. As a result, whenever she saw him injured, she tended to overreact.  
  
Ruefully, he tried his best to downplay what happened. “I didn’t see the thing sticking out of the ground and tripped, that’s all, mom. It’s really not that bad! I swear!”  
  
She looked skeptical, her eyes intelligent and sharp, much like Uhura’s had been. He could practically see the cogs in her mind turning, considering alternative things for him to do during the summer. Jim must have looked horrified because his stepfather stepped in, much to his relief. “Accidents happen, Winona. I’m sure he’s had worse. Besides, boys will be boys. He’s still young, those scratches will probably be gone by tomorrow.”  
  
Jim mouthed ‘Thanks, Chris’ silently to him.  
  
Christopher Pike was a friend of his father’s from the army and married his mother a few years after his father’s death. He’d always been there after his mother received the news, had always helped them through problems, and he’d never tried to replace George Kirk for which he was sure his mother was grateful for. Even now, the two adults would occasionally reminisce fondly about their fallen friend and husband.  
  
His mother gave him a final look over before asking, “Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor, Jim?”  
  
Quickly, he shook his head. “Nope! I’m fine! I don’t need to see no sawbones!”  
  
His stepfather let out a snort of laughter. “Did you just say sawbones? Jesus, have you been hanging out with old timers or something, Jim?”  
  
Jim stood there, wondering just how old those two had been. Surely they couldn’t have been much older than thirty years old. But then again, he couldn’t be sure whether or not tree spirits aged at all. So he shrugged unhelpfully. “They were older than me, that’s for sure.”  
  
That night, he dreamt of a comforting fire, soft murmurs all around him, and warm hazel eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:  
  
The next day, he managed to find his way back without getting lost; not even once. When he caught sight of the daunting hill, this time, he made a point to carefully make his way down, making sure that at least one foot was firmly planted on the ground the entire time. Then tiptoeing through the trees, he spotted ‘Bones’ tree’ and grinned until a voice spoke up from behind him. “Are you really trying to sneak up on a  _tree_ , Jim?”   
  
Giving a start, he whirled around to face the owner of the voice. “Bones! You scared me! How’d you know I was here?”  
  
The eyebrow went up again. “You were trying to sneak up on a _tree_ in a _forest.”_  
  
_Having_ been caught, he shrugged offhandedly, trying to downplay it as much as he could. “Yeah, well, I thought you might’ve been asleep or something.” When the eyebrow went even higher, he frowned defensively. “What? It could happen! You  _do_  sleep, don’t you?”  
  
The brunet smirked almost teasingly. “I’ll never tell, so I guess you’ll never find out.”  
  
“That’s not fair, Bones!” Scowling, he ran up to the tree and climbed up.   
  
Leonard flinched visibly, clearly feeling Jim’s shoes digging into the trunk. “What are you doing!? Get down from there before you hurt yourself! Dammit, Jim! I’m a tree, not a lookout tower!”  
  
“Doctor, your yelling seems to indicate that you are in need of assistance of some kind.”  
  
The two of them looked over to see a stoic man standing there with his hands folded behind his back. “Mr. Spock,” the brunet greeted before pointing at Jim. “It’s nothing really. There just happens to be a crazy squirrel climbing up my trunk.”  
  
‘Spock’ raised a brow (now he was convinced that it was a tree thing) as he looked to where the doctor was pointing his finger. “I’m afraid I don’t see any signs of the rodent you claim to be the cause of your grief. However, there does appear to be a small child sitting on you.”  
  
“That’s exactly what I meant.”  
  
“I see. You are figuratively comparing the child to a rodent. Fascinating.”  
  
Jim laughed, legs swinging as he sat on the lowest branch. “Hey Bones, is he another tree spirit friend of yours? Aren’t you going to introduce us? It’s only polite!”  
  
Leonard turned his attention back to him, all scowls and annoyance. “Yes, Jim, this is Spock, Nyota’s husband. Spock, this is Jim Kirk, a kid who’s here for the summer.”  
  
Spock blinked and tilted his head curiously. “Jim. Would that be short for James?”  
  
“Yeah, why?”  
  
“Very fascinating indeed…”  
  
It was his turn to tilt his head to the side curiously. “What? Why?”  
  
For a moment, Leonard had an unreadable expression on his face before he rolled his eyes. “It’s nothing you need to worry about. We knew a James once. He was seven kinds of stupid.” Then after another pause, he added, “Not unlike you, kid.”  
  
Jim couldn’t help but laugh despite himself. “I’m only one kind of stupid!”  
  
Shaking his head, the man huffed irritably. If he was a bird, he would’ve ruffled his feathers. “Yeah, the rolling down random hills kind.”  
  
Smiling happily, he continued kicking his legs back and forth. “Why don’t you join me up here?”  
  
The doctor’s brows furrowed at the suggestion. “Because I’m not fond of heights. Now  _please_  come down before you get your cuts infected and you start dropping limbs like overripe fruits off a tree.”  
  
“That won’t happen, they’ve scabbed over already!” he replied stubbornly. “Hey, where’s Miss Uhura? How come Spock wasn’t here yesterday? If they’re married, shouldn’t they be here together?”  
  
Leonard shrugged. “Nyota’s probably elsewhere right now. Time passes differently for us. Days go by a lot faster than you think they do, so it’s not very hard for us to miss a day or two without noticing.”  
  
Unconvinced, he asked skeptically, “Then what about you? You’ve been here both days now.”  
  
The brunet gritted his teeth, clearly getting impatient with him. “That’s because I wanted to make sure you didn’t try to crack your fool head open by tumbling down the hill again. Now hurry up and get down from there already, Jim!”  
  
Deciding that he’d frustrated the poor man enough for the time being, Jim climbed back down to the ground, watching as the brunet tried not to squirm at the sensation of his hands and legs clinging to him. Once he had his feet firmly planted on the earth once more, he made his way over to Spock. “Hi! Bones won’t tell me, but do you guys ever sleep?”  
  
The man remained impassive as he nodded. “We do indeed sleep throughout nights and winter. We are also capable of resting whenever wish.” Then he raised a brow, clearly confused by the nickname. “Bones? For you to address Doctor McCoy in such a manner is most illogical seeing as we no longer have bones.”  
  
Jim pursed his lips in thought. “No longer have bones? Wait, so what happened to his bones? Where’d they go? How’d you guys end up being tree spirits anyways?”  
  
Spock’s eyebrow inched a little higher as he spared the other man a glance. “Tree spirits? I suppose that is a rather accurate way to describe our situation. We were once as alive and human as you. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, we ‘kicked the bucket’ here, as James would’ve put it. As a result, the earth gave us refuge and our ‘spirits’ now reside within certain trees.”  
  
Baby blue eyes widened in disbelief. “You guys  _died_  here!?”  
  
The man nodded. “Yes, killed, in fact; for 89 years now if I have been keeping count correctly. It was 1896 when we were murdered here.”  
  
Leonard was staring at the man incredulously, expression nearly mimicking Jim’s own. Quickly getting into the man’s face, he hissed. “Spock, are you out of your Vulcan mind!? You can’t just tell a child that we were killed here!”  
  
“I’m afraid I don’t follow your logic, doctor.”  
  
“I…it’s just not how you break the news to a child!”  
  
As the two discussed the issue, sitting down on the ground and leaning against Leonard’s tree, Jim tried to process everything he’d just been told before asking, “Bones, what’s a Vulcan?”  
  
Heaving a sigh and taking a seat next to him, the brunet rubbed the back of his neck. “To put it simply, it’s the name of a tribe. They don’t believe in violence and from what I’ve seen so far, they have no facial expressions whatsoever other than raising their eyebrows. They kiss with their hands and think there’s a logical answer to everything in life. Oh, and when they say goodbye, the do this,” he held his hand up to demonstrate the gesture, “ _’Live long and prosper’_ , so to speak. Is there anything else you’d like to add, Mr. Spock?”  
  
Spock tilted his head slightly as he stood in front of them. “There are many other nuances and traditions that we have, doctor, however, I have no reason to believe it necessary for Mr. Kirk to learn all of them.”  
  
Blue eyes watching the stoic man, he asked, “So you and Miss Uhura got married at some point and you were all killed here?”  
  
“That’s correct.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
Leonard interfered before the other man could answer and changed the subject. “So, Jim, it’s 19…what year now?”  
  
Distracted, both he and Spock answered, “1985.”  
  
“1985…” he repeated, “I bet it’s awfully different from the 1890s. I suppose those horseless carriages are the norm now? Do people fly now? Be a peach and catch me up, would you?”  
  
Jim laughed at the terminology. “Horseless carriages? You mean cars? Hardly anyone uses horses anymore except cowboys! Everyone’s got a car now! They have engines and run on gas and stuff. And we can fly everywhere in airplanes now, too! They’re huge, and made of metal, and you can go anywhere in them! Just about every year, I fly here from Iowa, then I meet up with mom and Chris at the airport and then we drive up here. I even went to  _Europe_  once, a couple years ago!”  
  
The standing man made as close to an interested expression as Jim had seen yet. “Fascinating. I would like to learn more about the technology available in this day and age. You seem to have developed very impressive modes of transportation.”  
  
“I could probably go get books from the library and bring them tomorrow,” he suggested, eager to share his knowledge of the world.  
  
The brunet on the other hand, looked sick at the very thought of it. “My god…people actually fly in metal contraptions now?  _Every year? Overseas?_ ” He shook his head in disbelief. “I rode in one of Scotty’s horseless carriages once and nearly threw up. James wouldn’t stop laughing even though he was sitting right next to me.”  
  
Spock looked almost amused as he folded his hands behind his back. “Yes, I remember that particular incident. Apparently Doctor McCoy gets nauseated quite easily when riding in fast moving modes of transportation.”  
  
The doctor scowled defensively. “Who  _wouldn’t_  get sick in one of those things? It’s not natural for pieces of metal to move faster than horses. Deadly; that’s what those things are.”  
  
Then a new voice joined them, and an Asian man appeared. “Hey guys, so what’s this about Doctor McCoy throwing up? Are you talking about that time we all went on that horseless carriage Scotty built?”  
  
The three of them looked over, the Vulcan nodded. “That would be correct, Mr. Sulu. It’s nice of you to join us.”  
  
The man smiled and then turned his attention to Jim. “Who’s the kid? He’s even younger than Pasha.”  
  
Leonard nodded. “He is. He’s only 11. Jim, meet Hikaru Sulu. Mr. Sulu, this is Jim Kirk, he’s here with his family for the summer.”  
  
He blinked slowly, leaning over to ask the doctor. “Bones, if you guys have been friends for such a long time, why do they still call you Doctor McCoy?”  
  
The man shrugged. “Old habits die hard I guess. They don’t always call me that. After 89 years of being stuck with each other, we’ve got to change it up every now and then, you know?”  
  
The Asian man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “With his family for the summer…? Oh, we’ve got a live one then? How’d he find us?”  
  
At this, the doctor heaved a sigh. “The kid threw himself down the hill over there and I went to make sure he was still breathing.” Ignoring Jim’s protest, he continued, “Never mind that though. You like technology and horseless things. Did you know that they fly overseas in scraps of metal now? Jim’s even been kind enough to offer to bring us books tomorrow.”  
  
Attention fully turned to Jim, Hikaru sat down by them, eyes wide with interest. “You can really fly overseas now? I’ve only ever sailed across oceans. That sounds too good to be true. So how does it work?”  
  
\--  
  
Later in the evening, he asked Chris about life in the 1890s and earned himself a laugh. “That’s an awful long time ago, Jim. I might be old, but not that old. If you’re looking for information, why not try the library? I’m sure they’ve got a decent history section there. I could take you to town tomorrow if you’d like. Did you make friends here?”  
  
He shrugged and answered vaguely as usual. “Yeah, something like that.”  
  
“That’s good, seeing as we’re almost at the end of our summer vacation, you’ll be able to look forward to seeing them again next year maybe.”  
  
That night, he turned in early with the plan of getting up earlier in order to fit a trip to the library into his schedule in such a way that it wouldn’t take away from his time with his new friends. In his sleep, he dreamt of a smooth seat and a bumpy ride with the smell of something that wasn’t quite gasoline. And beside him, a hand clutched tightly onto his arm and a distraught voice spoke up.  
  
_“I may throw up on you.”_  
  
\--  
  
The next day, he met Pavel Andreievich Chekov, the teenager who’d learnt how to read maps and nautical charts before he could walk. And Montgomery Scott, the crazy mechanical genius who’d made Leonard try out too many of his experiments for his liking. Everyone had showed up, full of curiosity about all the things he’s brought with him. He’d stuffed his bag full with the library books he’d gotten that morning, a packed lunch, and several miniature car and airplane models. Together, the small group of them huddled close to the books, reading the events that happened year after year, occasionally stopping to discuss them.  
  
Chekov was particularly interested in the maps and was shocked when he found out just how much Europe had changed. He was even more shocked when he found out that there weren’t any more tsars in Russia and the very fact that there’d been a revolution in the first place (though he got over it after awhile and then proceeded to claim that revolutions had been invented in Russia).  
  
Naturally, Bones was interested in all the new medical procedures that had been developed since his time. Often nodding and occasionally triumphantly telling one person or another ‘I told you it could be done!’ Jim was been confused about it until Uhura explained to him (since the men were too busy gawking at the pictures of the first few airplanes ever built), “Leonard was looking into a lot of these things before they were ever invented. He used to write to all the best doctors around the country to discuss new procedures and improvements that could be made to existing one and the like. I told you he was a good doctor, probably the best in his day.”  
  
They spent the next few days doing the same thing, spending hours discussing the world wars, debating every aspect of it possible. After the world wars, they started on the topic of the Cold War and everything it entailed. When they got to the 1950s, Jim pointed at the section on the Vietnam War. “I don’t like any of the wars, but this one’s my least favourite.”  
  
Leonard’s brows furrowed. “What in blue blazes were our men doing in Vietnam of all place?”  
  
He shrugged and added nonchalantly, “I don’t really know, but my dad died there. It was during one of the last years, he went back from his leave to help withdraw the troops or something. My mom doesn’t like talking about it with me much. He died or we got a letter on the day I was born – I’m not sure which, to be honest. Chris says he saved a lot of lives and died a hero.”  
  
Honestly, he wasn’t sure why he even mentioned it. Perhaps it was the child in him yearning for attention or just the feeling that this group of people should know.  
  
The doctor’s eyes widened as he wrapped an arm around Jim’s shoulders despite the boy being unable to feel it. “God…I’m real sorry, Jim.”  
  
Though he normally didn’t like people giving him their condolences since it wasn’t like he knew his father personally, he didn’t mind it from Leonard or this group of people. Maybe it was because the only thing they could really offer to him were their words or maybe it was because they’d been killed and were offering their condolences. Jim leaned slightly into the gesture, passing partway through the man’s arm. “Thanks, Bones.”  
  
At that moment, he was sure that there was nothing they wanted to do more than hold one another.  
  
\--  
  
A week and a half later, he waved a tearful goodbye to all of them as he got ready to head home, back to school and back to Uncle Frank’s place while his mother and Chris went back to work. Not wanting to leave his new friends behind, he promised them, “I’ll be back next year for sure, so just wait for me, okay? You’ll be here, won’t you?”  
  
The brunet chuckled and repeated his words from the first day they met. “We won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, kid. Just make sure you don’t come tumbling down the hill again.”  
  
“I won’t! And next year, I’ll have a lot more stuff to show you guys!” Then looking at the trees, he frowned. “Will you guys be okay in the winter? Won’t you be cold? I could wrap you guys in blankets or something…”  
  
Spock’s eyebrows shot up. “Thank you for your concern, but that is unnecessary. We go into a deep sleep along with the trees when the temperature drops.”  
  
His eyes widened with interest. “So you hibernate like bears?”  
  
Scotty laughed affectionately at his fretting and waved him off. “Aye, that’s right, lad. Besides, we’ve been here for so long now, a wee bit of cold’s nothing to us!”  
  
Jim nodded. “Then I guess I’ll see you guys next year then. Take care of yourselves!”  
  
The woman smiled. “You take care of yourself as well.”  
  
Hugging Leonard’s tree, he laughed as he watched the man twitch at the contact before running off. “See you next year, Bones! Bye, guys! Try not to miss me too much!”  
  
\--  
  
He did exceptionally well in history class that year.   
  
When the car pulled up to their usual cabin, he could hardly wait to run into the woods. The only thing that stopped him was his mother’s insistence to properly unpack his things since he’d brought twice as many things as he normally did. His bag was full of things he wanted to show his friends. And since he was now twelve, he was just that much older and more experienced with that many things more to talk about.   
  
When he was finally done, he ran out into the woods and blinked at how unfamiliar everything looked after being away for three quarters of the year. There was no telling how long he ran around for, searching for the clearing he’d dreamt about so many times throughout the year. When the sun began setting, he had no choice but to give up and try again the next day.  
  
He finally managed to find it the next day. Grinning ear to ear, he ran up to his favourite tree and gave it a tight squeeze before knocking on the trunk. “Bones! Bones! Wake up! It’s summer already!”  
  
“Dammit, Jim! I’m right here! There’s no need to yell!”  
  
Annoyance radiated off in waves off the man as he stepped forward. Despite this, all he could do was smile proudly at the fact that he just earned his first ‘Dammit, Jim!’ of the year.  
  
\--  
  
That year, he managed to rope them into playing pretend with him where he was the captain and leading his crew into adventures into space. It was based on a popular show that was rerunning on TV back at home. Uhura raised her brow ever so gracefully at his insistence to be called ‘captain’ but agreed to play along with it in the end (unlike Bones, who refused to until the very end.)  
  
_“If you’re not going to call me ‘Doctor McCoy’, then why should I call you ‘Captain’?” Leonard had asked skeptically.  
  
“Because you’re  **Bones**!” Jim had insisted.  
  
“And you’re  **Jim**!” Leonard had rebutted.  
  
“Fine!” Jim had yielded._  
  
It’d also taken a bit of effort to convince Spock to play along since while games based on imagination were fine, they weren’t okay if they weren’t realistic and possible in real life. He had his hands folded behind his back as he raised his eyebrow. “It’s highly illogical for us to assume that alien species would be able to communicate with us at all given that we have yet to gather any real experience here. Their willingness to work with us is an entirely different issue altogether.”  
  
The doctor rolled his eyes. “Come on, Mr. Spock. Just humour us. You even get to be the First Officer  _and_  the Science Officer, if that isn’t a deal, then I don’t know what is. If I heard right, I don’t even work on the bridge apparently.”  
  
Jim frowned in protest. “That’s because you have a sickbay to run, Bones! You can always come up and visit me though!”  
  
Spock nodded in agreement. “It was logical for you to be the Chief Medical Officer given your extensive knowledge in medicine, Doctor McCoy.”  
  
“I don’t know anything about alien diseases! For all I know, there are probably strains of disease out there that’ll make our eyeballs bleed! How am I supposed to fix stuff like that?” Leonard protested grumpily. “And if I can’t ride on a horseless carriage, what makes you think I’d be able to go into  _space_. I tell you, if anything, space is probably just danger and disease wrapped in darkness and silence.”  
  
“You’ll be fine, Bones! You’re going to be the best CMO in the entire federation! I wouldn’t have picked you otherwise!”  
  
Hazel eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion as he shrugged. “Yeah, sure kid. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard that line. Wait, how’d it go from trying to get Spock aboard to us arguing? Never mind that, let’s just start already.”  
  
He grinned. “Alright then! Miss Uhura, have we gotten any messages from space?”  
  
She tried to hide her smirk at his enthusiasm. “Yes,  _Captain_ , we’ve received a distress call from a nearby planet.”  
  
Taking an apple out of his bag, he grinned and took a seat on ‘The Captain’s Official Tree Stump’. “Bones! Buckle up!”   
  
“Dammit, Jim. I’m a tree and a doctor, not a space adventurer.” Leonard muttered under his breath. “I can’t believe I’m being led into space by an infant.”  
  
Ignoring him, he nodded at the Asian man and took a bite out of his apple. “Mr. Sulu, prepare thrusters.”  
  
Sulu looked amused. “Aye, aye, Captain.”  
  
\--  
  
When they weren’t reading together or playing pretend, he got to listen to stories of their adventures. He watched in fascination as their eyes lit up at the recollection of the crazy shenanigans ‘James’ pulled off.   
  
“I don’t think there’s ever been a more accident prone man.” Leonard growled in annoyance as he recalled a particular incident. “This one time, I took my eyes off of him for all of two minutes and somehow, he came back with cactus needles sticking out of his rear. We weren’t even in the south! I still don’t know how or where he managed to find the blasted plant!”  
  
Chekov grinned. “Yes, I remember that very well. Tell him about the time Mr. James got caught by outlaws!”  
  
The brunet shook his head and snorted at the memory. “I still don’t believe that it really happened. I mean, French outlaws? Really? So what happened was, we didn’t see him for two whole days. Then he showed up out of the blue after and claimed that he’d been caught by  _French outlaws_  of all things. He then claimed to have learnt enough of the blasted language from Nyota to charm his way into getting them to release him without harming a hair on his body. I guess if anyone ever managed to pull something like that off, it’d be James. Never did believe in no-win situations, that one.”  
  
The woman rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “James claimed to have learnt a lot of things from me; like how to walk in women’s shoes. I still don’t have enough evidence to support or to disprove his claim.”  
  
Jim raised a brow at that, and was unable to suppress a grin when Sulu raised his own and nodded approvingly. “Wow, Captain,” it’d become a nickname for him after all those days of traversing the universe, “that’s looking almost as good as Spock or Leonard’s.”  
  
“Don’t compare me to that green-blooded hobgoblin now. His eyebrow expresses so many more expressions than mine,” Leonard drawled lazily, voice free of any hostility.   
  
Spock raised a brow.  
  
“See? That one there’s mild confusion and annoyance. It took awhile, but I learnt.”  
  
“Doctor, your observation that I am able to convey emotions through a single facial feature is almost as illogical as James’ no no-win situation belief.”  
  
Scotty bellowed a laugh. “Speaking of no-win situations. You should tell the lad about the goats and the china tea cups! That story gets me every time!”  
  
As much as he loved the stories, he wasn’t sure how fond he was of ‘James’ and how easily he stole everyone’s attention even though he wasn’t physically there. Despite this, he liked the idea of no no-win scenarios, so he decided to adopt it and make it his own motto to live by.   
  
\--  
  
The next year, he happily showed the doctor the black eye he’d gotten from Finnegan just before school was out. It was already fading but still there. Leonard immediately went into doctor mode and began hovering around him, studying his eye. “Good god, Jim, what happened to you?”  
  
He shrugged indifferently. “This kid, Finnegan had it out for me since forever now. I got into a fight with him since he wouldn’t stop tormenting me. You should’ve seen the black eye I left on  _him_  though! I hope it’s still there next year!”  
  
Then Scotty appeared. “That’s my lad! Hope you landed a second one for me too!”  
  
“Don’t encourage him, Scotty! Violence clearly isn’t the answer in a situation like this! If he’s going to respond with violence every time he’s provoked, then he won’t be living a very long  _or_  happy life with all the damn brain damage he’s going to get.” The brunet frowned in exasperation. “Why didn’t your friends help you or anything?”  
  
“Because they’re chicken? I don’t know. I don’t really know anyone  _that_  well. You guys are probably the best friends I have anyways.”  
  
The doctor’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Oh dear lord, what’ve we done to you, kid? Your best friends are  _trees_? Look, we care about you a lot, but we can’t really do anything if something were to happen to you. You’ve got to go make friends who’ll watch your back, Jim. God, I feel like we’ve ruined your social life.”  
  
Calculatingly, he looked the other in the eye and smiled easily. “I guess you owe it to me to keep me company during summer then.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:  
  
At 15 years old, much to Jim's dismay, his mother invited both his girlfriend and his best friend at the time to join them at the cabin. It took all his self-control to hold back his tears of frustration. The secluded clearing where Leonard and the rest of them were was a secret he held close to his heart, never having told anyone about his friends. Part of the reason was because of the promise he made to the doctor all those years ago, and the other part was simply because he didn’t want to share.  
  
He dreaded the idea of having to spend his summer hiking around and keeping the two company, but there wasn’t very much he could do about it. So he did as he was told and half-heartedly showed them around the mountains and forests and the town, all while wishing he was elsewhere. Pretty soon, he began looking for opportunities to escape or to _'accidentally'_   lose sight of them.  
  
It wasn’t until a couple weeks later into their visit that he managed to sneak off on his own. Quickly making his way to the clearing, he heaved a sigh of relief. At least he’d be allowed to spend  _some_  time with his usual company. Making his way over to his favourite tree in the world, he called out, “Hey, Bones. You there?”  
  
It never ceased to amaze him when the doctor managed to appear out of nowhere. “Hey, Jim, we were beginning to think you were getting too old to be spending your summer hanging around old trees like us.”  
  
Jim smiled, nothing but sincerity in his expression. “Too old you hang out with you guys? Never.”  
  
The brunet rolled his eyes. “You should’ve seen Spock. I’m pretty sure the man was actually disappointed when you didn’t show up. You should go find him later. I never thought I’d ever witness a sad Vulcan of all things.”  
  
Curiously, he asked, “And what about  _you_?”  
  
Leonard snorted. “Me? What  _about_  me? I don’t keep track of the days like Spock does so I never know when you’re supposed to show up unless he tells me. But I guess it’s good to see you. We live vicariously through you, remember? Without you around, the entire world could’ve been invaded by those space aliens of yours and we’d never know.”  
  
Nodding in agreement, he laughed. “That’s true. But being blissfully ignorant of the world aside, I think you’re just too shy to admit just how much you missed me, Bones.”  
  
A growl. “Don’t push your luck, kid.”  
  
“I’ll try again later then,” he promised solemnly. “I don’t know how often I’ll be able to drop by this summer. My mom invited a couple people from school so I have to keep them entertained.”   
  
In the back of his mind, he noticed how he referred to them a people from school as opposed to friends or anything that would imply something more intimate.  
  
“Isn’t that a good thing, being around people who can actually do things with you instead of grouchy old ‘tree fairies’ like us?”  
  
He snorted. “I’m never going to hear the end of it, am I? I was only 11 at the time, Bones. Tree fairies made sense to me. And no, it’s not all that great because I see them during all three  _other_  seasons so I don’t understand why my mother thought it was necessary for me to be around them all year round. Besides, I’d rather be here, spending time with  _you guys_.”  
  
Leonard shook his head in disapproval. “Either way, it doesn’t matter. They’re your guests and it’s only polite to keep them company. So go say hi to Spock and let him know that you haven’t outgrown him, then head on home to your friends, okay?”  
  
Sulking, he nodded obediently, knowing better than to argue with the doctor over manners and politeness.  
  
\--  
  
Later in the afternoon when he found his friends again, they were by the small lake he showed them earlier, kissing. For a moment, he was too stunned to move. Then slowly, he collected his thoughts and worked out a plan in his head. Strange enough, all he felt was elation and relief when he quickly ran over and worked up a storm, ignoring their protests and apologies as he yelled at them to leave and to never talk to him again.   
  
At one point between then and bedtime, he wondered if he was supposed to feel more upset than he did about the situation.  
  
\--  
  
The next day, he ignored his guests and made his way to the woods. Jim felt particularly chipper that he managed to salvage the remainder of his vacation. Rapping his knuckles on the tree trunk, he called out, “Bones, rise and shine! Wake up! The sun's been up for  _hours_  already!”  
  
“Good god, man. I could’ve sworn you left only an hour ago,” was the grumpy reply.  
  
He shook his head. “Not quite. That was yesterday.”  
  
With a frown, Leonard raised a brow. “What about your guests? Shouldn’t you be keeping them company right now?”  
  
Quite easily, he explained, “See, the thing is, one of them was sort of my friend and the other, I was sort of dating. I caught them sucking each other’s faces when I got back so I broke things off with them.”  
  
Hazel eyes widened. “Jesus, kid, I’m sorry.”  
  
Jim shrugged, answering honestly, “I’m fine. Not feeling particularly choked up about it or anything. Guess I wasn’t as fond of either of them as I’d originally thought.”  
  
Bones frowned and moved closer towards him, studying him closely. He had never been able to hide anything from the doctor for some reason. The man could read him like a book. Satisfied with what he found, the doctor nodded slowly. “At least you two weren’t married with a family or anything.”  
  
He blinked. “You had a family? Really?”  
  
“An ex-wife and a daughter, Joanna. But that was ages ago." The doctor waved his hand offhandedly. “Look, you’re still young, kid, you’ll have other chances at love. With the way you are, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of ladies lining up for you.”  
  
“Don’t get too jealous when that happens, okay, Bones?”  
  
The man rolled his eyes. “Me? Jealous? I’m too old for that shit.”  
  
Jim’s eyes widened. “Did you just swear, Bones? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before.”  
  
Leonard shrugged. “I didn’t think it decent to cuss in front of a kid. But I figured, if you’re old enough to be courting girls, you’re old enough to deal with a couple of indecent words.”  
  
“Only if I get to cuss as well.”  
  
“Sure, why not? That sounds alright by me. ”  
  
“Well, I guess I’ll be spending the rest of my summer hanging out with you guys after all.”  
  
The doctor nodded in agreement. “I guess you will.”  
  
Then nonchalantly, he changed the topic. “In other news, earlier this year, I drove my uncle’s car off a cliff and nearly went with it. You should’ve seen how upset he was. Serves him right for being such an asshole though.”  
  
Bones all but exploded at that.  
  
\--  
  
The next day, he returned with a notepad after a trip to the library. Bones had been chatting with Spock and Nyota when he finally arrived at the clearing. The man raised a brow. “Hey Jim, you look excited. Did something happen? And why do you always seem to have an apple every time you come here?”  
  
The teenager grinned. “You know what they say: an apple a day keeps the doctors away.”  
  
Leonard rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Yes, but that only works when you don’t go out of your way to see said doctor. What are you grinning about anyways?”  
  
Jim pulled out his notebook excitedly. “Right, so I was at the library this morning doing research and I found out stuff you guys might like to know. Like…Spock, the Vulcan tribe still exists. They were nearly wiped out in the early 1900s but there were a few survivors, enough to re-establish the tribe. Most of the traditions they practice haven’t changed very much from what you’ve told me.”  
  
With Uhura by his side, Spock dipped his head. “Thank you, Jim. That brings me great comfort to hear.”  
  
He also tried to research Leonard’s life, but much to his disappointment, he didn’t get very many results other than a number of random medical breakthroughs throughout the country that acknowledged the doctor, his research and personal contribution, or his expertise. For someone so seemingly famous, he sure managed to keep a low profile.  
  
“Anytime, Spock.” He smiled and turned to Leonard. “And as for you, Bones, I found out some stuff about your daughter if you’d like to hear about it.”  
  
The doctor perked up in interest. “Like what? Did my baby girl live a long, healthy life?”  
  
Proud of himself for being able to evoke such a reaction from the other, he nodded. “Yes, sir. She lived a very long and happy life – and she kept your last name the entire time. Let’s see, Joanna McCoy, daughter of renowned doctor and surgeon Leonard McCoy and diplomat Jocelyn Treadway, was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1887. Following her father’s footsteps, she became one of the few female doctors of her time. She flew overseas to help soldiers out during both world wars and was apparently best known for treating both ally and enemy soldiers without bias.   
  
“During the First World War, she met a particularly charming soldier and married him afterwards. Then, shortly after the Second World War, she decided to retire to help take care of her grandchildren at home. One of the historians I called up actually read me an excerpt from an article about her. When the journalist asked her why she took the moral high ground, she responded with: ‘ _My father was the greatest doctor I’ve ever known. He taught me that there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who need help and those who don’t. A doctor’s job is to help any and all people in need. So all I did was my job._ ’ She passed away peacefully in 1977, so 12 years ago, at the ripe age of 90.”  
  
Eyes wide with disbelief and melancholy, Leonard took a seat and shook his head. “My baby girl became a doctor like her old man? I can’t believe she had kids and grandkids…”   
  
Jim nodded softly. “There are still McCoys running around. They’re probably all doctors.”  
  
“I hope not. One Doctor McCoy’s all the world can handle at any given time.” The brunet managed to laugh hoarsely. “Joanna…my Joanna…god, the last time I saw her, it was a year after I left Georgia. She was only seven at the time. She still had baby teeth and insisted on holding my hand when we walked. God, I hope she was happy. That boy better have treated her better than gold.”  
  
Uhura walked over and stood next to Jim, speaking gently, “Come on, Jim. Let’s give Leonard a little space.”  
  
Suddenly unsure of whether or not he had done the right thing, the blond dipped his head and began following the other two away.   
  
As they left, Leonard called out after them, “Hey, Jim.”  
  
Turning away, he blinked uncertainly. “Yeah?”  
  
“Thank you for telling me about Jo. I really appreciate it.”  
  
Feeling better instantly, he smiled lightly. “Anytime, Bones.”  
  
\--  
  
At one point during his visits, Jim attempted to use slang that he learnt from TV. But when he said something along the lines of:  _“It was totally gnarly! Like, radically tubular!”_  to Bones and Spock, all he got in response were matching raised eyebrows and bewildered silence.  
  
Then the brunet spoke up, “What the hell did you just say, kid? Were you speaking a different language?”  
  
He decided to stick to speaking normally after that.  
  
\--  
  
It was 1990 when he turned 16. It was also that year that he realized that he was in love with Bones after waking up one morning drenched in sweat and other bodily fluids. Cussing up a storm, he went to clean himself up, trying to convince himself that no, he didn’t have a wet dream about a dead man in a tree of all things. His attempt at denial was rendered futile when he burst into laughter at just how ridiculous it sounded, even to him.   
  
After his laughing fit, he accepted it quite easily. After all, the doctor was handsome, smart, snarky on the outside but marshmallow-y soft on the inside, what  _wasn’t_  there to like? If he wasn’t  _dead_ , everything would’ve been just  _perfect_. Jim didn’t need to confess to know how the scene would play out.   
  
The doctor would probably raise his eyebrow, shake his head and say,  _“I’m too old for this shit.”_  Or,  _“Dammit, Jim! I’m a tree, not some idol you should be falling in love with!”_  
  
Either way, it’d be fruitless for him so he decided to keep his feelings to himself.  
  
\--  
  
That spring, there was news of forest fires which sprung a surprisingly amount of anxiety inside him. When he finally got to the woods, he asked the brunet about it. Leonard shook his head, unworried. “I can’t say for sure, but we’ve never had any problems here. Never even seen any signs of fire so just relax. We’re not going anywhere any time soon.”  
  
Nodding, he frowned. “It’s not fair, you know?”  
  
The man raised a brow. “What isn’t fair now?”  
  
“That you guys all get to be trees,” he sulked, because that’s what teenagers did best. “You guys are my favourite people in the world but you’re all stuck here while I’m stuck elsewhere with all these people telling me where to go for college and what to study when I get there. Why couldn’t I have been born a tree or something? You guys don’t have to deal with this stuff.”  
  
The doctor let out a bark of laughter. “Really, kid? Somehow, I’m having an awfully hard time seeing you as a tree. You wouldn’t be able to stay still long enough for the seed to even sprout. You drove a piece of metal off a cliff for god’s sake! But if you want to be one so badly, maybe you’ll have better luck in the next life.”  
  
Jim huffed indignantly at being laughed at. “In the next life, you promise? Maybe before I die, I’ll come and cut you down so you can move on with me.”  
  
Eyebrow twitching, Bones rolled his eyes. “Or maybe you can try to cut me down yourself and I’ll fall on you and crush you to death. How does that sound?”  
  
He shot the other the biggest dumb grin he could muster. “It sounds like a date, Bones.”  
  
\--  
  
When he was 17, tired of wondering about the expression Bones had whenever the mysterious man was brought up, he finally decided to broach the topic of ‘James.’ On one of the days when the two of them were alone, sitting against the doctor’s tree, he asked as casually as he could, “Hey, Bones, how do you all still remember stuff?”  
  
Leonard blinked, eyeing him questioningly. “What do you mean?”  
  
“I mean, most old people forget things with age. I remember my mom told me that my grandpa actually forgot where he lived once after he went out to get the newspaper. You guys have been here for over 90 years now, so how do you still remember everything?  _Do_  you remember everything?”  
  
“Yeah, I do. Or, at least I think I do.”The brunet took a seat next to him. “I’m no mystic, but my best guess would be that these trees here hold our souls along with our memories. Otherwise, you’d think we’d have forgotten everything right after we died.”  
  
“So these trees act kind of like hard-drives in a computer then?”  
  
Bones blinked slowly. “A what now? Oh…one of those things you were talking to Scotty and them about? Yeah, sure, why not?”  
  
“A hard-drive's this thing you store memory and data in, to put it simply. Never mind that though,” he pressed on, “Then…you remember the beginning and the end of everything that happened, right? I mean, you guys never really mentioned it, except for that one time, so I was wondering if you guys had maybe forgotten about it.” That was about as subtle as he was willing to be. “…am I asking too many questions, Bones?”  
  
The man snorted incredulously. “You’re asking me this after all these years? Don’t be stupid, Jim. The more you ask, the more you’ll know, right? Knowing things never hurts. And no, I haven’t forgotten.”  
  
“I guess it wasn’t exactly a topic you’d talk to a kid about,” he offered understandingly. After having taken more history classes and learning more about the dark era Bones and them came from, he realized just how different it was back then when segregation and discrimination were constantly present and unjust laws were threatening all those who tried to do good.  
  
“No,” Leonard agreed, “It’s not exactly the happiest story to be telling either. But I guess now’s a good a time as ever to tell you about everything, especially since you’re asking.” Head tilted downwards in thought, he pulled his lips taut. “I guess the best way to begin would be to tell you about the beginning, when I met James.  _‘Just James’_ , as he introduced himself…that man really was all kinds of stupid…”  
  
\--  
  
When the man finished his story, there was a long moment of silence between the two of them. Jim’s mind was whirling with realizations and questions. Finally, the blond looked over and asked, “Do you ever regret meeting him? I mean, you left your clinic, your friends and your daughter to travel around the country with some random guy with crazy dreams.”  
  
Leonard pulled his lips taut. “I think…” he began slowly, “that at first, I hated him for everything he put me through. But when you get stuck in a tree, you get a lot of time to think and reflect about your life. And after the first couple decades, any anger you might’ve felt goes away.”  
  
Curiously, he asked, “And after 95 years?”  
  
The doctor let out a groan. “My god, has it really been 95 years already?”   
  
Jim chuckled lightly. “It really has been 95 years already, Bones. So after more than just ‘a couple’ decades, have you reached a conclusion?”  
  
An affirmative nod. “I have. After 95 years, I concluded that it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me other than my daughter.”  
  
Blue eyes blinked in surprise. “Really? That’s a pretty far cry from anger.”  
  
“Yeah, well, the anger was mostly because he was such a  _dumbass_  with such a goddamn  _hero-complex_. He always talked about how we were all in it together, but then went and left us behind. It was only natural for us to get upset. But when you think about it, he wouldn’t have been James if he didn’t do just that.” Then he added with a snort, “He just had to be fucking  _Just James_  till the very end.”  
  
Not wanting to hear just how much the dead man was missed, Jim licked his lips nervously and shrugged. “Yeah, well…a leopard can’t change its spots, you know? Stupidity is a lifelong trait.”  
  
The brunet rolled his eyes and snorted. “No kidding. You reminded me a lot of him when you first came tumbling down the hill, you know?”   
  
In his mind, he had known it all along; how in him, they saw James. But he never wanted to admit it to himself. And being confronted with it now, he found himself surprisingly clearheaded about the whole situation. “I don’t know if you guys think I’m some reincarnation of this James person or something. But I’m not him and I won’t ever be him. You know I’d do anything for you, Bones. But I can’t be him; not even for you.”   
  
It was as close to a confession as he had ever made and it left his heart pounding in fear.   
  
“Jim…”  
  
He buried his head in his arms as he curled his legs up towards his chest, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest. “I’m sorry that I can’t be Just James for you, Bones. I’m sorry that I’m just Jim. I am.”  
  
From beside him, Leonard shook his head, looking out into the distance. “Don’t be stupid. I know all of that. And you know I’d never ask you to be anyone but yourself. You’re Jim. And I’m glad for it. I really am. I’m glad that you’re alive and that we get to watch you grow up. I’m glad that you’re going to college even if you don’t know what you’re doing yet. And I sure as hell am glad that you live in a world with vaccines for measles and typhus and polio, and that you don’t have to constantly look over your shoulder after you help someone up off the ground.” Then tone softening, he continued, “I’m glad that you live in a nicer world now and that you come every summer to share it with us.”  
  
Glancing over, he huffed. “Yeah, well, you can’t get rid of me that easily. Stubbornness is just another one of those lifelong traits, you know?”   
  
The doctor’s lips curled upwards just slightly. “You don’t say.”  
  
The silence turned more comfortable after that.  
  
\--  
  
He wasn’t sure how long the two of them sat there for, but after awhile, he couldn’t take the stillness anymore and leered at the man. “So…was the sex any good?”  
  
Bones’ eyes widened as he quickly sat up and looked over at Jim, face flushed and sputtering, “Dammit, Jim! You’re unbelievable!”  
  
The blond blinked mock-innocently. “What? If I’m old enough to be ‘courting a girl’ and listening to you cuss up a storm, I think it’s only reasonable to assume that I’m old enough to talk about sex! You guys  _did_  have sex, right?”  
  
“Yes, but I’m not about to  _tell you_  about it, you damn infant!”  
  
Laughing, he leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes for a moment before the grin reappeared on his face. “…what about Miss Uhura and Spock then? You guys all travelled together, did you ever overhear them going at it? Honestly, I can’t imagine Spock without a shirt let alone naked. He must be good though, if Miss Uhura still keeps him around. Did they ever ask you to join in? I’m guessing no. But then again, as trees, you guys are practically always having a nice, big tree orgy with all that pollen and spores floating around and whatnot.”  
  
“Dammit, Jim! I refuse to discuss this subject with you!”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:  
  
After that summer, Jim went a little crazy during his first year at college in San Francisco. He slept with anything with legs, snuck into bars and got into fights. Jim did everything his mother wouldn’t have wanted him to do short of getting expelled. Academically, he excelled at every course he took, and he took courses in just about every subject offered at the college, so that he would have things to discuss during holiday visits.   
  
The only time he slowed down was during his usual summer visits to the cabin. His mother and Chris had moved on to spending their summers in more vacation-like places and expressed their surprise over the phone when he passed up the chance to go to Hawaii in favour of heading back to the cabin.  
  
 _“You’re really going to go back to the little cabin by yourself, Jim? I never thought you’d ever get so attached to that place. And to think, the first time I brought you, I was afraid you’d get bored and sick of the place after a week.”_  
  
He laughed in reply, cradling the phone to his ear. “What can I say? The place has this kind of special charm about it that makes it so attractive.”  
  
 _“I suppose that’s why we went there in the first place. But are you absolutely sure you don’t want to come to Hawaii with us?”_  
  
“Yeah, I’m sure, mom. You go have fun with Chris - just make sure you don’t tell me any of it. Thanks for the offer though.”  
  
 _“Alright…have a safe drive up.”_  
  
“Don’t worry. I will.”  
  
\--  
  
It wasn’t until his final year that he paused to ask himself what he was doing. He was enjoying himself in a certain redhead’s dorm room when she moaned and somehow slipped in a  _‘Jim, I think I love you’_. They’d hooked up multiple times before but it had always been about nothing more than sex. And everything - their friendship, the sex - would’ve been fine if those words never slipped past her lips.  
  
He immediately paused, sat up, and stared at her sheepishly with a small, wry smile on his lips. “That is so weird…”  
  
Turning the lights on, Gaila frowned, clearly displeased with his choice of words. “Did you just say  _‘That is so weird?’_ ”  
  
Quickly rolling off her, he rubbed the back of his neck ruefully and looked way. “Yeah, I did but…”  
  
Minutes later, Jim found himself in the hallway, mostly undressed and still dumbstruck. As he dressed and made his way back to his own room, he tried to remember whether it was the redhead or her hot but hostile roommate that had kicked him out. It was probably the roommate since he had asked Gaila to check her email in a couple hours and she had smiled happily at him, likely expecting something that she would never actually get.  
  
Once back in his room, he took a shower. Then he stuffed a couple necessities into a bag and hopped into his car, deciding to take off for a couple days. It wasn’t like missing a couple days would do anything to his grades. He discovered long ago that studying and academics came naturally to him and that he only had to exert a minimal amount of work to do well.   
  
As Jim drove, he felt half guilty and half relieved at having escaped from his little predicament. He would probably get hell for it when he got back to campus, but he could always make something up and deal with it when the issue arose. Meanwhile, he had a more pressing question in mind. Why had he reacted so badly to the confession? Gaila was a nice girl, a great girl even; hot, great in bed, and with a wonderful personality to boot. But his natural response was to flinch away and to run away.  
  
After a couple hours, he glanced at the road signs and realized just where he was driving. The realization didn’t cause him to worry or to turn around though, instead, he stepped on the gas and went back to thinking about the problem. “Let’s see…come on, Jim. Think. What kind of person would you actually accept feelings from?”  
  
He thought of Gaila and slowly began changing her appearance. The first thing he changed was the hair to short and brown. Then he made her taller, a little tanner, eyes a little more hazel, and shoulders a little broader. Quite naturally, he made her chin a little more square and added stubble. By then, he realized just what his brain was doing and stopped himself before he crashed his car due to a spontaneous tent in his pants.   
  
He would’ve accepted love and monogamy if it was Bones.  
  
Nearly slamming his head against the steering wheel, he muttered, “Well, fuck.”  
  
\--  
  
It was morning when Jim finally reached the cabin. He got out of the car with the extra large cup of coffee and breakfast sandwich he bought in hands. The leaves had slowly begun reddening in colour all around him as he made his way through the woods. He had always known that he loved the doctor, but for it to be this serious; it caught him off guard. As he made his way up the hill, he realized just how much easier it was now than when he was a child. Thinking back now, he wondered why he ever felt the need to run.   
  
But he was glad he did.  
  
Skittering down the hill, he jogged over to Leonard’s tree. Him hoped that the man hadn’t decided to go into his tree hibernation yet. Tapping lightly on the wood, he called out tentatively to the brunet, “Bones? You there? Please don’t tell me I drove all the way out here for nothing. You can’t go to sleep this early in the fall. Your leaves haven’t even started falling yet, you old man.”  
  
Although it took longer and the man sounded even grumpier than usual, the doctor made his appearance with the scowl and awareness of someone who just woke up. “Jim? The hell around you doing here? Is it summer already?”  
  
Unfazed, Jim smiled happily at the sight of the man. His heart was already pounding twice as fast and his brain seemed to have forgotten why he had ran away from campus in the first place. “No, it’s actually fall right now.”  
  
“ _Fall_?” That caused the brunet to become more alert though the sleepiness remained evident in the thickened southern accent in his voice. “What’re you doing here, kid? Don’t you have school or something?”  
  
“I missed you too, Bones. Something weird happened yesterday and I just kind of freaked out and ran. Next thing I know, I’m here with my breakfast.”  
  
Annoyance quickly turning to concern, Leonard heaved a loud sigh. The doctor had never been one to simply let someone with a problem of any sort walk away. “Come on, then. Tell me what happened.”  
  
After explaining his story (it would’ve been longer but he left out all the juicy details), he shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know why I said that or why I ran. Now that I think about it, I have no idea what I was doing.”  
  
“Jim, in these last few years, you’ve  _never_  known what you were doing,” the doctor pointed out bluntly, nothing but honesty in his voice. “Feel free to correct me if I’m mistaken, but every time you came by, from what I heard anyways, other than a couple courses that you slept through, all you did was sleep around and get drunk all the time. Am I wrong?”   
  
Unable to lie to the man who could read him like an open book, the blond shook his head.  
  
Frustrated, Leonard growled at him. “Dammit, Jim! You’re not a child anymore. You can’t just treat everything like a game all the time. And this isn’t even just about the girl anymore. You’re about to finish college. Don’t you think you should have at least a  _little_  direction in your life? I’m not trying to tell you that you have to choose a path, but have you ever even _thought_  about what you’re going to do with your life?”  
  
It stung a little but he realized that Leonard was right. He spent all his time imagining what it would be like to be able to see his deceased friends all year round and to be able to interact normally with them that he ended up spending more time daydreaming than anything else. And now, he was lost and had no idea what he was doing with his life.  
  
Slowly, he shook his head and answered, “No. To be honest, I haven’t.”  
  
Afraid that by adding ‘ _I was too busy thinking about you_ ’ would cause the doctor to send him away permanently, he kept his admission short.  
  
Eyes softening, Bones reached out to him for a moment before he realized what he was doing and retracted his arm. “Then why not start now? For such a bright kid, you sure can be dumb at times. But that’s alright, I guess. Since you’re still young, you have plenty of time to figure something out. Hell, if you dissatisfied with all your current options, I bet you could just go and make up something new if you set your mind to. So why not give yourself something to work towards? A little hard work never hurt anybody.”  
  
“You mean unless you have severe arthritis or some other health issue.”  
  
The doctor put on his usual scowl at that. “Don’t get sassy with me, Jimboy. Dammit, I’m too old for this shit. Hurry up and go back and properly apologize to the poor girl for being such an ass. You said that next year’s our 100th anniversary, right? Come back and tell us some good news, how about that?”  
  
Not wanting to disappoint the brunet, Jim quickly nodded in agreement. “Deal. But do I really have to go back right now? I drove for nearly a day just to get here. Do you really want me to get back in my ‘horseless carriage’ that travels ‘unnaturally fast’ while I’m tired?”  
  
Rolling his eyes, Leonard shook his head. “No. I suppose that wouldn’t be very safe. Not that those things could ever be safe regardless of whatever condition you’re in. Why’d you go and do something stupid like that anyways?”  
  
Innocently, he replied, “To see you? You always say that a little suffering’s good for the soul, don’t you?”  
  
A huff. “I never say that.”  
  
Jim couldn’t help but smile. “You really are getting senile, Bones. Anyways, since the ground’s damp and I don’t have my rain-gear with me, will you permit me just this one time to take a nap up on your branches? I promise I won’t fall off. That one there even looks wide enough for me to rock around on. We don’t get the keys to the cabin until summer so I have absolutely nowhere to go…not where I could keep my pants on anyways. Please?”  
  
After a long pause, the doctor finally consented begrudgingly. “Fine, but if you look like you’re about to fall off for even a second, I’m waking you up.”  
  
“But if you startle me too much, I might just fall off anyways.”  
  
“Don’t be a smartass, Jim. I’m a tree, not a hammock.”  
  
Grinning, he gave the tree trunk a quick kiss.  
  
“I owe you one, Bones,” the blond spoke as he set down his empty coffee cup and took off his shoes, figuring that it would be rude of him to climb on someone offering him a place to sleep with muddy shoes on. As hard as it was, Jim did his best to ignore the grunts he evoked from the doctor while climbing. Carefully sprawling himself out into a comfortable position on the branch, he leaned back against the trunk and closed his eyes.   
  
As a light breeze blew past, it caused the leaves to brush softly against his hair.   
  
In his sleep, they felt almost like fingers.  
  
\--  
  
After his nap, Jim said goodbye to the doctor and made his way back as he promised. Once he got back, with Bones’ words still ringing loudly in his mind, he found Gaila in the mess and apologized for being ‘ _such an asshole_.’ Jim lamely explained that he ran away because he didn’t know how to handle it. She took a moment to study him before drawing her own conclusion. “You’re in love with someone else.”  
  
A little dejectedly, he admitted to her, “With someone I can’t have.”  
  
Being the wonderful person that she was, she shot him a sympathetic look. “Then I guess we’re in the same boat.” If it had ended there, they would’ve simply exchanged strained smiles and moved on with their lives, ignoring each other for the rest of the academic year. Instead, she drew her lips into a line thoughtfully and continued, “So tell me about them. Is it a girl or a boy? What do they look like? You know all about  _my_  unrequited love, so it’s only fair that I get to know about yours.”  
  
A part of him wanted to protest and tell her that no, that wasn’t how it worked, but instead, he laughed, unable to believe that she was using her feelings against him. Although he didn’t like the idea of exposing his vulnerability (especially when it pertained to Bones) to anyone, the expression Gaila had on her face told him that she would listen without judgment. “My situation’s a lot more complicated than yours, I can guarantee you that much. Do you have time? Let’s take a walk.”  
  
The two of them became good friends after that.  
  
\--  
  
Returning to the woods the following year with a bottle of fine bourbon, he grinned happily to himself. Jim sang loudly as he made his way down the hill until he was cut off by a familiar voice. “Better not let Miss Uhura hear you singing like that, lad. You sing about as well as a tone-deaf cow.”  
  
He laughed. “I think she’d just call it noise. Hello to you too, Scotty. How’ve you been?”  
  
“I’ve been just fine, Jim. And you, lad? Have you taken anymore engineering courses?”  
  
Walking along side with the Scotsman, he nodded. “I just got my degree, actually. So I’m done with college for now. Maybe I’ll go back for a master’s but I haven’t thought quite that far yet. You know, I bet Pavel could’ve gotten his master’s and maybe PhD in the same amount of time I got my bachelor’s.”  
  
“Aye, that’s highly likely. But you can’t go around comparing yourself to a child genius like Pavel now, Jim. That’d just make you sad. Just look at you, I remember when you were just a wee lad, getting doted on by the good doctor.”  
  
Jim grinned and raised a finger to his lips. “Don’t let him know, but I think he still dotes on me, just in a more verbally abrasive way. But under all that bark, he’s probably made of cotton and other fluffy things. Did he tell you that he let me sleep up in his branches? It took a bit of convincing, but I got to in the end.”  
  
Scotty’s eyes widened. “You don’t say. That’s quite an accomplishment. Good for you, lad. So what’s with the whiskey?”  
  
“Oh, this? It’s to celebrate. You think you’d be able to taste this stuff if I were to pour it on your roots or something? I know Hikaru would just tell me it’d kill the trees, but I figured you and Bones wouldn’t mind if it meant you could taste this stuff.”  
  
The shorter man nodded in agreement. “You bet I wouldn’t mind. I’d be more than willing to be a test subject if you’d like.”  
  
Entering the clearing, he went straight to Leonard’s tree as usual. “Bones, look at what I’ve got!”  
  
“My, my, my…is that a mighty fine bottle of Kentucky Bourbon I see? I must say, I don’t think I’ve never been this happy to see you before, my sweetest darlin’. I’ve missed you so much.”  
  
Raising a brow, Jim could feel his heartbeat racing at the brunet’s words. What he wouldn’t give to hear those words directed to him. He snorted and lifted the bottle up to his face. “How rude of you. My face is up here, Bones. I can’t tell if you’re talking to me or the bottle right now. Now I know what women feel like when men chat them up. Happy 100th anniversary to you. And happy I’ve-now-known-you-guys-for-half-my-life anniversary to me.”  
  
The doctor shrugged lazily before retorting, “Not sure happy’s the right word for it in both cases, but thanks.” Narrowing his eyes as he took a moment to study him, he drawled, “You look different somehow.”  
  
“Well, I can tell you that it’s not because of puberty since I hit that a couple years back. You guys were all there for the acne and the cracking voice. Hikaru and Pavel wouldn’t stop laughing at me, remember? And  _you_! You were making fun of me as well! I remember you distinctly telling me not to try to press up against you unless I wanted splinters impaling my dick.”  
  
Bones smirked, eyes bright with amusement. “Yes, I vaguely recall something along those lines. But look at you now.”  
  
“You mean smart and handsome as can be, right?”  
  
“I remember when you used to be cute. Somehow your ego’s grown disproportionally bigger than you,  _Captain_.” Another voice joined them. Jim could practically hear the eye-rolling in the words.   
  
Turning to face the two approaching figures, he dipped his head in greeting. “Miss Uhura. It’s lovely to see you as always. Will you grace us with your singing today? It’s for a good reason.”   
  
“Oh? I’ll see how I feel. The birds keep disturbing my practice.”  
  
Jim always found it amusing how Uhura disliked birds. ‘ _They always want to join in, but they’re never on key,_ ’ was her main complaint. Blue eyes large and imploring, he watched her. “Please say you will. It wouldn’t be a proper celebration without your singing. A century’s a pretty big deal, wouldn’t you agree, Spock?”  
  
“Although it’s illogical to attach any significant meaning to the number of years that’s passed as there are no grounds to believe it to be any different from any of the previous years, I do understand the emotional reasoning behind it.”  
  
He raised the bottle in a gesture of agreement. “Exactly! Emotion reasons! There are emotion reasons to celebrate today, so let’s enjoy it. Last year, we celebrated the 10th year anniversary of my rolling down the hill, and this year, it’s your 100th anniversary of being tree spirits and my known-you guys-for-half-a-life anniversary. Now where are the other two? We can’t very well start without them.”  
  
“Who’s late now? I don’t see any late people, do you, Pasha?”  
  
The Russian shook his head, eyes bright and innocent. “No, I don’t see any anywhere, Hikaru.”  
  
Spock raised a brow. “Logically speaking, you wouldn’t see a person who is tardy seeing as they’d be absent.”  
  
The Asian shrugged. “If we’re going to be talking about logic, then we can’t exactly be late for something we weren’t invited to, right? I’m glad we made it though.”   
  
Jim smiled and took a seat, addressing them all, “Well, seeing as we’re all present and accounted for now, let’s begin.”  
  
\--  
  
Their festivities were simple, involving lively talking and Uhura’s singing. And when the day came to an end, he popped open the bottle and took a swig, coughing slightly as it made its way down his throat. Although he’d wanted to water the trees with it, Bones had threatened to hurt him if he dare waste even a drop of perfectly good bourbon on dirt. “I have pretty exciting news, actually.”  
  
Everyone stopped and turned their attention to him, nothing but earnestness and interest in their eyes. “What is it, Jim?”  
  
“I’m enrolling into an Officer Candidate School.” He received mix reactions from them and quickly continued, “It’s probably not what you’re thinking. I’m only going for training and then I’m going to join the UN military peacekeepers. So I’ll be traversing the world to help people, hopefully. It took awhile to even think of the idea, but, I’ve talked to a couple of my professors, friends and parents about it. With everything I studied for in my degree, I could help a lot of people. They said that the training should take about 3 months, and then I’ll have to serve for another 3 years afterwards. But after that, I should be able to work under the Blue Helmet.”  
  
Nyota was the first to voice her approval. “I’m sure you’ll be able to do it. Just don’t get yourself hurt or anything now. We all know you have a strange masochistic streak going on.”  
  
Following his wife’s lead, the Vulcan dipped his head. “I, too, would like to wish you success. It’s a very admirable cause you’re working towards. But with your credentials and abilities, I see little reason why you would fail.”  
  
Sulu appeared slightly reluctant but also nodded, giving his consent. “It’s hard to believe that you might actually become a captain someday, Captain. It seemed just like yesterday you were telling me to get the thrusters to the ship ready for our big space exploration adventure thing and I was teaching you how to fence.”  
  
Eyes wide, the Russian asked him, “Will you still visit us in the summer?”  
  
Facing Pavel, he shrugged. “I’m not sure how my schedule will look once I start. But whenever I get time off, I’ll definitely come visit you. Don’t worry, I’m already working out a plan in my head to make sure they’ll give me either spring or summer off. It’ll work out somehow. I’ll still come back. Someone’s got to keep you guys up to date with the world and all.”  
  
\--  
  
One by one, they congratulated him and asked him their questions. And as the sun began to set, they began retreating back to their trees, leaving him alone with the doctor who was always the last to go. He glanced over a little nervously. The doctor was the one person who could change his plans with merely a look after all. “Bones? You’re the only one who didn’t say anything. Is something wrong?”  
  
Leonard shook his head. “I was just thinking.”  
  
“Yeah, you do that a lot, don’t you? A penny for your thoughts?”  
  
Tossing his head back, the man snorted lightly. “If what you’ve been saying is true, I wouldn’t be able to do very much with a penny nowadays. You know, in the fall, when you came here, you’d looked lost. And now, it’s nice to see that your eyes have cleared up and that your life’s mostly back in order.”  
  
Smiling softly, he lowered his eyes. “Well, you told me to give my future a little thought so I did. There are still people all around the world who’re going through what you guys went through: violence, discrimination and prejudice. It bothered me just thinking about it. Then I figured ‘it’s not right, so why can’t I be the one to do something about it?’ This was the result of my months of reflection. And, I apologized to Gaila, we’re good friends now. No more sex though.”  
  
The doctor let out a soft chuckle at the last bit. “What a tragic loss. That’s good to hear though. It’s never appropriate to be rude to a lady.”  
  
“But what about that time you-”  
  
“That was an exception;  _extenuating circumstances_  if you will. And even then, I apologized to her afterwards, didn’t I?  _And_ I helped her deliver a perfectly healthy baby! That's got to count for something!”  
  
“So did I! Not the birthing a baby part, but the apologizing part.” Jim retorted and took another swig before coughing, tears wetting his eyes. “Jesus, I can’t believe you used to drink this stuff regularly. I can barely take a sip of it.”  
  
The brunet scoffed, “That just means you’re still an infant. Only grown men know how to appreciate something that fine. So when do you have to leave for training or whatever it is you're doing?”  
  
“Thanks a lot for listening, Bones. I’ve still got a month of vacation left. Might as well enjoy all this free time while I can, right?” Then he added honestly, “You know, I was afraid you guys wouldn’t be here. After having been here for a century, I thought you guys might’ve moved on or something.”  
  
“This isn’t a fairytale, Jim. We’re just a bunch of dead people in trees, not make-believe characters from a story.”  
  
For a moment, he entertained the idea of waking Leonard with a kiss.  
  
Jim frowned. “Not  _just_  a bunch of dead people in trees, you guys are a bunch of geniuses and experts in different areas…in trees. I bet this is the most heavily concentrated area of amazing dead people in the world. There’s a medical genius, a navigation genius, a sailing genius, a language and musical genius, a logical genius, and an engineering genius. I probably would’ve failed school at some point without your help.”  
  
Leonard raised a brow skeptically. “Yeah, right. I bet you would’ve done just fine without us.”  
  
More seriously, he asked, “You guys  _will_  still be here next year, right?”  
  
Affectionately, the doctor rolled his eyes. “We won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, kid.”  
  
“Good. I’m not sure what I’d do if I knew you guys weren’t here anymore.”  
  
The doctor shrugged. “You’d get over it, pick yourself back up and move on. You’d be fine without us. And seeing as there seems to be a certain ambiance right now, I might as well get it out of my system. I don’t see James in you, Jim. I think it’s safe to say that I let go of him a long time ago.”  
  
Any joke he was about to make died in his throat.  
  
“Now, I’m only ever going to say this once, so you better listen real carefully and get the message through your fool head. I can admit that at the very beginning, I was probably blinded by my nostalgia – and your damn stupidity…throwing yourself down a fucking hill - unbelievable. But the two of you, though you might look alike, and dumb and reckless as you may be, are completely different people. James always had a desperate look in his eyes, a constant fear of the world. Maybe it was because of the times we lived in, but his confidence came from us and our abilities and never his own. Without us, he would’ve never gotten anywhere. He wouldn’t have had the confidence to. I'm certain now that if he was here, the guilt would've broken him.  
  
“And then there’s  _you_. You suddenly appeared out of nowhere as some loud, obnoxious, arrogant, and incredibly stupid kid. And every year I see you, you’re bright-eyed and babbling about how  _you_  were going to be the space captain of some amazing flying contraption or how  _you_  were going to save the world. Nyota might be right about your inflated ego but confidence is rarely a bad thing. You might’ve been a little lost in the last few years, but you picked yourself up. And you did that on your own.”  
  
He shook his head, trying to deny everything that the man was saying. “That’s not true, Bones. Every time I fell down, you're the one who helped me up. It’s happened so many times now whether you’re aware of it or not. You've always been here for me. Last year, if you hadn’t said anything to me, who knows where I’d be now.”  
  
“I’m sure you would’ve been fine. If I hadn’t said anything, it might’ve taken you a little longer, but you would’ve come to the same realization yourself. I  _do_  have a couple decades on you, you know? James  _needed_  me… _us_ , and our help, so we were there for him and loved him for it. I went with him because I shared his ideals and hopes, and he needed me there because he thought the world was going to swallow him whole. But you, you’ve got the world in the palm of your hands. While it's not so much about need, I  _want_  to help you and watch you succeed in this world. I care about you, Jim, and I’ll always be here for you, but you don’t need me or any of us and you never have. Don’t try to argue it now. Three quarters of the year. You spend three quarters of the year elsewhere and you always come back better than before. You have no need of anything we have to offer.”  
  
Taking a moment to process those words, he began tentatively, “Then what if I say that while I might not need your love and attention and whatever else you’re willing to give, I desperately want it?”  
  
Leonard’s lips curled up slightly and shook his head. “Don’t be an idiot. You’ve had it all for quite awhile now, Jim. And until you find that someone in this world who was made for you, I’ll be right here.”  
  
Jim was tempted to tell the other that he’d been fruitless in finding someone more special than the doctor in all 22 years of his life so it was doubtful that anyone better would come along.   
  
Instead, he smiled stupidly wide. His heart was so full of happiness and warmth it felt like it was going to burst.   
  
For now, this was enough.   
  
Reaching back, he wrapped his arms around the tree he was leaning against as hard as he could. “I can guarantee that no one will even come close to competing against you, Bones.”   
  
“Yeah, I bet it’d be real hard to compete against an old tree fairy like me.”  
  
There was a pause between the two before Jim leered at the other. “I get this feeling that this is the part where I’m supposed to throw myself at you and we have amazing, raunchy sex right here in the woods.”  
  
The doctor let out a bark of laughter. “Absolutely unbelievable! You’re a real sweet talking thing, aren’t you? Do your lines actually work on women? Jesus, kid, if you really want to rub yourself up against tree bark, you go right ahead and do it. Just don’t come crying to me when your dick gets infected and rots off or something.”  
  
\--  
  
Later that day, as he made his way back to the cabin in the dark, he was still wearing the same large, goofy grin on his face.   
  
Just James might’ve had Leonard, but  _he_  had Bones.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:  
  
Packing up everything he owned, Jim left San Francisco for good and hopped onto the next plane over to Georgia to begin his training. While sitting there with his mind on Bones, he looked over at the empty seat next to his and wondered if he would get both seats to himself. From down the walkway, he could hear someone arguing with one of the crew members.  
  
“You need a doctor.”  
  
“I told you people I don’t need a doctor, dammit! I  _am_  a doctor!”  
  
“You need to get back to your seat.”  
  
“I had one! In the bathroom with no windows!”  
  
“You need to get back to your seat,  _now_.”  
  
A moment later, a stewardess dragged a very distressed looking man out of the bathroom and practically threw him onto the seat next to Jim. Inwardly, he sighed; so much for having two seats to himself.  
  
The brunet huffed and turned his head, announcing gruffly to him, “I may throw up on you.”  
  
For some reason, that phrase sounded very familiar but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Raising a brow at the death grip the stranger had on the armrest, Jim tried his best to reassure the other. “I think these things are pretty safe.”  
  
“Don’t pander to me, kid…”  
  
Smiling to himself as the stranger went off on an angry rant, he realized with a mix of excitement and longing that the brunet reminded him of a modern version of Bones. Blue eyes glanced over to the bag that had been shoved under the seat in front of him. “So…‘L.H.T.’, you heading to Georgia for the OCS?”  
  
The man eyed him for a moment and scowled. “Yeah, that’s right. What’s it to you, kid?”  
  
Jim shook his head. “Nothing. I just figured that since I’ll be seeing you around the place, I should probably introduce myself. It’s Jim Kirk.”  
  
Hazel eyes studied him for a moment before shrugging. “You’re going there too, eh? Guess I’ll be seeing you around. The name’s Len Tanner.”   
  
“Len? What’s that short for? Leonard? Leonardo?  _Lenny_?”  
  
The brunet narrowed his eyes threateningly at the last suggestion. “If you ever call me ‘Lenny’, I swear you’ll get a needle to the eye so fast, you won’t know what hit you. It’s short for Leonard, and no, I didn’t have a say in it. My great-grandma Jo insisted on it since I was the first son in the family and all. She always wanted a Leonard in the family to honour her old man.”  
  
He raised an eyebrow for a moment before smirking teasingly. “A little history behind a name’s always nice. But what does the H stand for? Handsome? Hunky? Husky?”  
  
“It stands for ‘ _none of your business_ ,’ you nosy brat.”  
  
Jim laughed lightheartedly. “That didn’t even start with an H! It can’t be  _that_  bad, can it? Now I'm curious! Come on, Len! My middle name’s pretty awful too! I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours. Please?”  
  
The other man rolled his eyes. Yep, definitely Bones-like. “What are you? Eleven? It’s Horatio, happy? My full name’s Leonard Horatio Tanner.”  
  
Blue eyes sparkling in amusement, he tried to hide his grin fruitlessly. “Horatio? Okay, I have to admit that that’s pretty bad. But at least it’s not Tiberius. I’m James Tiberius Kirk. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Leonard Horatio Tanner.”  
  
“That’s  _Doctor_  Leonard Horatio Tanner to you.” Len’s lips curled upwards as he sat back, more relaxed than before.   
  
He had a feeling that it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  
  
\--  
  
As it turned out, because of a glitch in the system, the two of them ended up as dorm mates despite training for different things.   
  
Jim did a double take when the brunet stepped inside, carelessly throwing his bags onto the ground with a tired sigh. When the doctor finally looked up, hazel eyes widened in disbelief as he muttered, “Oh, hell no…”  
  
The blond stood there for a moment, grinning from ear to ear before holding his arms out invitingly. “Welcome to our humble abode, o'new roomie of mine!”  
  
“Well,  _fuck_.”  
  
The beginning of a beautiful friendship indeed.  
  
\--  
  
After the first two months, Jim gave Gaila a call since he promised to keep in touch. With his roommate out, he threw himself onto the couch with a groan. “Gaila? So I think I found my ‘type’ and I’m a little weirded out.”  
  
 _“Oh?”_  
  
Then he realized that he didn’t properly greet the redhead. “This is Jim, by the way.”  
  
 _“That’s what I thought. Hi, Jim, it’s good to hear from you. So are you going to tell me about your amazing epiphany or what?”_  
  
“Older, grumpy, southern doctors…with brown hair and greenish-brown eyes.”  
  
 _“That’s very specific.”_  
  
“I know! Is that weird?”  
  
 _“Yeah, it is, but also kind of hot. Tell me more about this new attractive southern doctor of yours.”_  
  
He knew there was a reason she was his favourite girl in the world.  
  
\--  
  
It was 1998 when he laid there and stared upward. Stars spilt across the sky and the moon lit up the desert sand. It was beautiful and breathtaking, but all he could do was frown and glare at it.  
  
“This isn’t worth it.”  
  
Len scowled. “Shut up, Jim. It’s your own fault for blowing up a damn motorcycle yesterday!”  
  
Jim tried to sit up only to be shoved back down by his friend. “They had it coming! How else was I supposed to get everyone out!?”  
  
The brunet glared at him. “You could’ve been dishonourably discharged for it, you idiot! Besides, you’re the one who’s been ranting and raving about this mission since you heard about it! How else was I supposed to keep you here?”  
  
“But did you really have to stuff a  _peanut_  down my throat!? You know I’m allergic!”  
  
“I was doing you a favour - stay still, you damn cretin! I know you’re not that allergic! I made sure of it before hand! Besides, I had an EpiPen ready! I didn’t think you would react that quickly though.”  
  
He would’ve yelled if he could, but his throat was still sore. “You call that a favour? My throat swelled up to twice its normal size! My tongue’s still numb!”  
  
Sheepishly, the doctor conceded, “I have to admit, that was kind of alarming. But I couldn’t just leave you there looking all pathetic.”  
  
“But right now, I’m here as your patient! I was supposed to be the platoon leader of the group! I mean, sure, this wasn’t supposed to be a dangerous mission or anything, but still!”  
  
Len shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m sure they’ll consider you our leader when they find us again. You did get us to safety from that sandstorm after our XO drove off with the damn jeep.”  
  
“I guess… Len, my tongue’s still numb,” he whined weakly.  
  
“Then stop talking so much.”  
  
“Oh, I wish I didn’t know you.”  
  
The brunet rolled his eyes unsympathetically. “Don’t be such an infant. You’d be a lot more convincing if you’d stop using my lap as a pillow.”  
  
“No. I refuse. You’re comfy. Besides, no one’s going to say anything to someone - technically, their platoon leader - who saved their asses from a freak storm while suffering from a severe allergy reaction. So just let me have my moment.” To emphasize his point, he wiggled around, finding a cozier position.  
  
“Unbelievable,” the doctor muttered, but he made no move to push him away.  
  
Closing his eyes briefly, Jim smiled contently, taking in his surrounding: a comforting fire, soft murmurs all around him, and warm hazel eyes.  
  
\--  
  
Prior to meeting Len, Jim had been convinced that he would be in love with a tree for the rest of his life.  
  
It didn’t take very long for him to realize that he had fallen for the man. The brunet was a graduate of the University of Mississippi and had come from a long line of doctors and was clearly passionate about his job despite all his complaints. Both the men and women in his family had always worked in the medical field and had been doing so for well over a century now. He also had the same overly caring heart and the same need to fix people as Bones, it was an endearing trait Jim absolutely couldn’t resist.   
  
At one point, Jim began wondering whether he liked the doctor as much as he did because he reminded him of Bones or if it was something separate. He wanted to believe that it was the latter but couldn’t be sure. On the one hand, Len was alive, fun to be around, handsome in a scruffy way, a talented doctor,  _and_  Jim wouldn’t have to compete against a ghost for him (because whether or not Bones had accepted Just James’ death, the love and the memories would always be there).   
  
But on the other hand, Len simply wasn’t Bones.  
  
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, the blond stole a glance towards his men and heaved a sigh, wondering if this was the same dilemma Bones had gone through.   
  
But there was no time to mull over it. He had men to lead out of the desert.  
  
\--  
  
Len approached him while he packed. They were officially on leave for the next few weeks after having spent nearly a year at their desert post. The doctor asked idly, “Heading over to Montana to see those friends of yours again?”  
  
“Yep, they get antsy when they don’t see me for too long. What about you? Heading back over to Georgia to see your family?”  
  
The brunet nodded. “That’s the plan. Not looking forward to the flight as usual. Actually, about my family…” Len scratched the back of his head hesitantly. “I was kind of wondering if you’d maybe want to maybe come on over if you, I don’t know, maybe finish a little earlier with your thing in Montana…maybe.”  
  
Ignoring all the ‘maybes’ the doctor managed to inject into his invitation, Jim’s eyes widened in surprise. “You want me to meet your family, Len? Really?”  
  
“Not quite. It’s more like  _they_  want to meet  _you_. They wouldn’t stop asking me about the owner of a certain annoyingly loud voice. I think you know the one. It’s the one I shared a dorm with? And then the same one I got stuck in the desert with? I think that’s the one that never fails to start blabbing away about absolutely nothing in the background whenever I’m on the phone too. Or maybe you’d recognize it as the one that won’t stop chanting my name whenever I’m talking to someone? Does that sound familiar to you, Jim?”  
  
He grinned innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Len.”  
  
Len rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. “Whatever. Come if you want. The only incentive I can give you is that I think there’s an official decree that says my grandma makes the best peach cobbler in the country. It's a secret recipe that’s been passed down from our forefathers from way back when.”  
  
Jim nodded mock-seriously. “That’s very convincing. I approve. How long can and-or should I stay for?”  
  
His friend shrugged casually. “However long you’d like, I guess. We’ve got that southern hospitality reputation we’re supposed to live up to, unfortunately. If anything, you’re probably going to have a hard time trying to leave the place. My granny’s got a really strong grip for an 80 year old. I think they’re looking forward to meeting you. Everyone wants to meet the guy who managed to keep me relatively subdued through an entire plane ride.”  
  
The blond grinned. “I still can’t believe you turned down Disney Land as a child just because you didn’t like flying.”  
  
“Yeah, well, I’m not the one who turned down Hawaii and Europe to spend your time in some isolated forest in the middle of nowhere.”  
  
“Point taken. I still can’t believe you’re inviting me to stay with your family, Len.” Jim’s heartbeat had quickened at the thought of it, but he tried to hide his nervousness behind his over exaggerated gushing and a horrible southern accent as he fanned himself. “Oh, fiddle-dee-dee, doctor, now you’ve gone and made me all flustered! Should I bring my best suit? Maybe I should buy a nice bottle of bourbon for them. Or maybe I should bake them a pie! Are there kids? Should I bring them toys?”  
  
The brunet burst into laughter and shook his head. “Simmer down there, Scarlett O’Hara. I don’t think sitting around and being stuffed peach cobblers and baked goods is enough to warrant a full blown  _Gone with the Wind_  moment.” Then he tossed his head backwards with a chuckle and muttered to himself in amusement, “Jesus, next thing you know, someone will be running at me going  _‘I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ babies!’_ ”  
  
He couldn’t help but chuckle along with his friend. “In all seriousness though, is there anything I should be bringing with me? My Backstreet Boys CD? Oh! Can I bring my  _Spice Girls_  CD,  _please_!?”  
  
Hazel eyes narrowed. “Don’t you dare, Jim. It’s bad enough that I had to listen to you blasting that  _noise_  back in the dorm room. I still can’t believe you dragged me to one of their  _concerts_  of all unholy things. Just bring your big, dumb head and everything will be peachy keen.”  
  
So for the first time in his life, Jim agreed to cut his annual visit to the woods short.  
  
\--  
  
“Jim?”  
  
Snapping out of his daze, the blond sat up. “Sorry, Bones. I guess my mind just wandered off.” He realized with some guilt that he had been thinking about the peach cobblers Len had promised him and the way the doctor had laughed at his horrible impersonation of Vivien Leigh. The guilt continued piling up when he realized just how much more he thought about Len than Bones when it should’ve been the other way around. “What were we talking about again?”  
  
Bones had his eyebrow raised at his question. “We weren’t talking about anything at all, kid. You seem awfully distracted. Normally, I can’t seem to shut you up even when I try. Are you feeling alright? You’re not sick, are you?”  
  
He shook his head and waved offhandedly to reassure the other. “No, I’m absolutely fine. I haven’t gotten sick since I was a kid. Don’t worry, Bones. I was just thinking about something.”  
  
The doctor studied him carefully for a moment. “Someone. You mean you’re thinking about  _someone_ , don’t you? …is it that doctor friend you were living with? The one you seem to like talking about so much?”  
  
Head snapping up, he stared at the brunet who merely shot him a smug grin. “Seriously, I thought I told you you’re not allowed to read my mind like that, Bones!”  
  
“Can’t help it, Jimboy. It’s a natural skill of mine. So spill already. I’m not one for gossip, but it’s been awfully quiet around here lately.” When Jim didn’t answer right away, hazel eyes widened in surprise. “It’s serious, isn’t it?”   
  
“How can you tell?” There were other questions he wanted to ask:  _‘How can you tell if it’s real? How can you tell I actually like him? How can you tell if it’s not just because he reminds me of **you**?’_  
  
“Well, for one thing, you’re still thinking about him even as we speak, aren’t you? I think that answers a lot of questions.” He was right, it did. But it wasn’t the answer Jim was hoping to find. The doctor smiled softly and drawled, “And here, I never thought I’d see the day when Jim Kirk finally falls for someone. Must say, I’m rather glad though.”  
  
He frowned in protest. “Hey, that’s not true! I fell for  _you_ , didn’t I?”   
  
Leonard shook his head. “It’s not the same. I’ve told you time and time again, I’m only here until you find that special someone who’s actually living and breathing; someone you can actually  _be_  with.”  
  
It always hurt when he was so bluntly reminded of all the things they couldn’t share and would never have. “You’re not going to disappear on me, are you? Besides, how can you tell? I know  _you’re_  special to me, but I can’t really tell with anyone else. Anyways, it’s only been like, two years and I’ve liked you since  _forever_  now. It’s not right. You’re supposed to be the only one for me!”  
  
“And how’d you come to that conclusion? The heart’s a fickle thing, Jim. One minute you’re fine, the next, you’re dead on the ground from a heart attack. It’s pretty much the same thing with feelings and love and whatnot. It’s unpredictable. One minute you’re in love, the next, you’ve moved on. You might hate yourself now because you  _think_  you’re supposed to feel a certain way, be in love and stay in love with something or someone, but eventually, you get over it and forgive yourself.”  
  
Jim wondered if Leonard was referring to him or James.  
  
“But…”  
  
The doctor frowned at him sharply. “Don’t give me any excuses now. Do you need my blessings or something? You’ve got it. I think it’s great that you’ve got interest in an actual, living person now. So stop moping around like an idiot.”  
  
He felt a little upset at how casually the brunet was taking the situation. Here he was, mulling over Bones’ feelings and trying to sort out his own thoughts, while the man more or less shrugged it off. Did his feelings mean nothing to the doctor? He was about to fire off an angry retort when he looked at Leonard’s expression. Those saddened hazel eyes stopped him in his tracks. “Bones…”  
  
Leonard shook his head, cutting off any argument he might’ve had. “It’s for the best, Jim. This was never going to be enough for you. You have no obligations here, so don’t let it hold you back and promise me you’ll at least try. And if you find that he’s good for you, you latch on real good and don’t let him go, you hear me?”  
  
Unable to deny the man anything, he nodded sullenly. “I’ll see how it goes. But no matter what happens, don’t you worry, Bones, I won’t be going anywhere any time soon. You can’t get rid of me that easily. I’ll be here again next year, same as always.”  
  
The brunet snorted. “I think that’s supposed to be  _my_  line. You ought to be out traversing the world like you’ve always wanted to.” Then more earnestly, he added, “I want what’s best for you, Jim, and that’s not me. Maybe it’s that doctor friend of yours, maybe it’s not. But you’ve got too much love in that damn heart of yours. It’d be a waste to spend it all on an old tree like me. So go out there and give someone else the chance to love you and to be loved by you. That’s the way things should be.”  
  
Leaning back against the doctor’s tree, he tried his best to hold his tears back. Although he was too old to throw temper tantrums, he wasn’t too old to have his heart broken. “But it’s not fair…I love you, Bones. I really do. I’m so sorry, I never meant for this to happen. You were supposed to be the only one, I swear. You’re the one who’s always been there for me, even at my worst. I never meant for any of this. But it’s just…”   
  
“But it’s not enough,” Leonard spoke gently, “I know, Jim. Don’t blame yourself for this. It’s not your fault. This was never going to be enough for you and it  _shouldn’t_  be good enough to satisfy you.”  
  
Jim had never felt their lack of physical contact more acutely than at that moment. There was nothing more he wanted but warmth and  _contact_  of some kind but all he got was cold, hard tree bark against his back. Wiping his tears in frustration, he frowned. “I wish I could just touch you for once! There’s nothing I wouldn’t give for us to work out. I’ve wanted it so much for so long. It should've been enough. I love you so much. I really do and I always will, please believe me. I’m so sorry, Bones. I never planned on falling for anyone else.”  
  
The doctor’s voice was heartbreakingly soft as he spoke, “I know, Jim, I know. Me too.”  
  
And so, that was the end of the relationship they never really had.


	6. Chapter 6 & Epilogue

Chapter 6:  
  
On his plane ride to Georgia, Jim thought about Bones.  
  
And at some point between finding his seat and the plane taking off, his heart skipped a beat at the thought of Len showing up and getting himself verbally pummeled by a flight attendant again. It was almost the same feeling he had whenever he was on his way to the forest. He couldn’t help but picture Bones scowling at him in his mind. So why didn’t it work out between him and Bones, the lack of physical contact aside.  
  
The analytical part of him brain quickly took over breaking down the situation for him.  
  
He realized that Len made him feel more vulnerable than Bones ever would. He knew that the tree spirit wouldn’t reject him and that the chances of a fall out were extremely low. Despite his yearning to hold the other man, he would never have to fear rejection or disappointment from doing something stupid and unwanted (climbing and sitting on him didn’t count). And even if they fought, Bones would always be there to forgive him after he cooled off.   
  
Jim had always escaped from feeling exposed to the world via Bones.  
  
Len was different.   
  
Len was alive and could do everything Bones couldn’t. He could push him away, rip his heart apart, physically hurt and be hurt by him. And worst of all, Len had the ability to just walk away. It all made Jim feel that much more vulnerable.   
  
_“We won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, kid.”_  
  
Those were the words Jim had always clung to.  
  
Although he liked both doctors equally, he picked Bones at first because of those words and the promise of security. But now, Jim had realized that with higher risk came greater rewards as well and he was feeling lucky. Len was there, and if everything worked out between them, they‘d be able to take on the world.   
  
It scared him that this was the path he was choosing. All the courses and training he had taken in risk mitigation told him that it was a bad idea. But even if it didn’t work out with Len, Jim made a promise to Bones that he’d at least try, and he had no intention of backing out now.  
  
By the time the plane landed, all he could hear was his heartbeat ringing in his ears.  
  
\--  
  
Jim’s heart rate didn’t slow down for the rest of his visit and he was sure that cut his lifespan in half from the stress.  
  
At the dinner table, Len kept his head down and concentrated on eating while his grandmother spoke to Jim. She was a tiny old lady. Although she looked sweet and pleasant, she had one hell of a personality. They had been talking about Len’s great-grandma Jo when Jim put his fork down. Then he folded his hands in his lap. The meal was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten, but he simply couldn’t finish it.  
  
The old woman narrowed her eyes dangerously (not unlike the way Len did), and spoke cordially, “Jim-dear, if there’s a single scrap of food left on that plate by the time I finish my dinner, I’m going to kick your scrawny ass across town.”   
  
Jim’s jaw dropped as he gaped at her.  
  
In the seat next to him, Len lowered his gaze and bit his lower lip to hide his smile.  
  
Meanwhile, the little old lady simply carried on with the conversation as though she hadn’t just made that rather violent threat. “So as I was saying…my mother, she would’ve loved to meet you! She was quite the woman. When Lenny here came out, she said to us, serious as can be, ‘His name’s going to be Leonard, after my dear old man. And just like my old man, he’s going to grow up to be the best doctor in the country and help all those in need.’ And she was right.”  
  
The blond grinned affectionately at his friend. “You don’t say.”  
  
She nodded proudly to herself. “He’s a real McCoy in his own right.”  
  
At this, Jim stopped and blinked slowly. “McCoy? Leonard McCoy…? The famous doctor back in the late 19th century? I didn’t know you were related to him, Len.”  
  
The doctor shrugged. “I was named after him, but great-grandma Jo was technically the last McCoy in our family. Great-great-grandpa’s a bit of a hero in our family but I didn’t realize that his name would be recognized outside of the medical field. But then again, you’re weird, so I guess that doesn’t count.”  
  
The grandmother rolled her eyes. “Your great-great-grandfather was the greatest doctor in his day. He’s the one who established the family motto! ‘ _There are only two kinds of people in the world-’_ ”  
  
“ _‘Those who need help and those who don’t. A doctor’s job is to help any and all people in need.’_ ” Jim finished off then looked around in confusion at the wide-eyed stares he received from everyone around the table. He smiled hesitantly. “I read it somewhere once in an old magazine or something. He sounded like a pretty cool guy. What was he like?”  
  
The elderly woman shook her head sadly. “I never got to meet him. He disappeared around the turn of the century from what I heard. My mother used to rant and rave about him and his companions though. There was one she particularly liked…the crazy leader who taught her how to ride. Now what was his name? J…J…”  
  
“James?” Jim supplied helpfully only to lower his gaze once more when all eyes turned to him again.  
  
“Yes! James! That was his name! She called him Uncle James! That man needed all the help he could get with what he wanted to accomplish back in the day. That’s why my grandpa needed to go with him, apparently. My mother used to tell me all these crazy stories about their wild adventures. Me and my sisters were pretty sure most of them were made up, but what we wouldn’t have given to meet him in person. Imagine how much he would’ve been able to contribute to modern medicine if he were still around.”  
  
Jim snorted quietly, remembering Bones’ reaction to ‘damn horseless-carriages’ and other ‘unnatural things’ but remained silent when Len shot him a confused look.  
  
\--  
  
On his fifth day there, he and Len were sitting around on the porch eating dessert over glasses of bourbon. Jim finished off the last piece of cobbler and leaned back with a content sigh. “I swear, I’m going to get yelled at and made fun of when once we get back to our post and it’s going to be all your fault. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this much food in my  _life_. It’s only been a couple days, but I think I’ve eaten enough to feed a small country already! And what else did they say they were going to make tomorrow? I think heard something about fried chicken and cherry pie.”  
  
The brunet next to him chuckled and took a sip of his drink. “Can’t say I didn’t warn you before. It’s a good thing you’re only here for a week. Otherwise, you’d probably have to pay for two seats on the plane ride back.”  
  
“I don’t doubt that. Heaven on earth, that’s what this place is.” Then glancing over at his friend, he asked, “Hey, Len?”  
  
“What is it, Jim?”  
  
“After I finish this assignment, I plan on joining the UN peacekeepers. Will you come with me as my medical officer?”  
  
The doctor stared at him for a long moment before laughing. “Jesus, Jim. Don’t make a military posting sound like a marriage proposal. I almost spat my drink out. That would’ve been a waste of perfectly good bourbon.”  
  
“Would it work better if I was on one knee?” Jim hid his anxiousness behind a grin and propped himself onto his knee before continuing, “Will you, Doctor Leonard Horatio Tanner, come and join the UN peacekeepers with me, soon-to-be-Captain James Tiberius Kirk, to be my lawfully and militarily assigned Medical Officer, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part? Etcetera, etcetera.”  
  
Len’s face reddened as he sputtered, “Oh dear lord, if any of my neighbours overhear you, we might as well be dead. And did you just end all of that with  _‘etcetera, etcetera?’_  Well, if that isn’t the most romantic way to end a proposal, then I don’t know what is.”  
  
“It’s three in the morning. Nobody’s going to hear us. I should warn you though, if you say yes, I’m never going to let you go, Len.”  
  
“Why me?” The brunet complained grumpily. “Why not someone with more medical expertise?”  
  
“Because there’s no one I’d trust more to fix me up when I’m hurt and bleeding. You see the world in the same light as your great-great-grandfather: full of people who need help and people who don’t. And I need a lot of help, so what do you say?”  
  
The doctor thought about it for a minute before he gave an audible sigh. “I guess I might as well.  _Somebody’s_  got to keep you in one piece. God knows you need all the help you can get.”  
  
The blond grinned excitedly. “Was that an ‘I do’ I just heard?”  
  
“No. You need to get your ears checked, kid. That was clearly a reluctant ‘I guess I might as well.’ But seriously, if folks overhear us around these parts, we might as well be dead.”  
  
He nodded solemnly. “I know. Don’t worry. I made sure all your neighbours' lights were off before asking you. I’m not  _that_ dumb - and no further comments on that. I suppose this little military proposal’s going to have to stay between the two of us until we retire since it’s going to be the same back on base. I got enough shit after I slept in your lap that one time. It’s a shame, really.”  
  
The brunet rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure you’re absolutely heartbroken at the loss of celebrating with confetti and streamers, and a nice fancy limousine.”  
  
Jim cupped the other’s face and eyed him earnestly. “I think it’s an absolute shame that these kinds of things can’t be out in the open, but I suppose that’s just how the world works right now. I really meant it, you know? The part about never ever letting you go again. Are you alright with that?  _Will_  you be alright with that?”  
  
“I think I should be the one asking you that. Will  _you_  be alright with this? What about your friend in Montana? You came here looking kind of upset. Did something happen over there?” Blue eyes widened. Len frowned. “Don’t give me that look, Jim. I’ve known you long enough now to know that you wouldn’t have missed out on Hawaii and women in grass skirts for just anything or any _one_. So  _are_  you alright with this?”  
  
The blond thought about Bones and how he would never be able to touch him the way he was touching Len - Len who was so similar to Bones but so different at the same time. Looking into those earnest hazel eyes, he felt nothing but love and affection for the man in front of him. And then he realized that although this lifetime wasn’t the right one for ‘Jim and Bones’, maybe it was the right one for ‘Jim and Len.’   
  
Jim leaned in so that their foreheads were touching and nodded softly. “Yeah, I’m alright with this. I’m more than alright. You’re Leonard Horatio Tanner, whose sweet little grandmother threatened to kick my ‘scrawny ass’ across town if I didn’t finish all the food off my plate, and you’re the one person in this world I have no plans of ever letting go of - if you’ll have me, that is.”  
  
Much to his surprise, he meant every word of it.  
  
And even more to his surprise, the answer he got was: “Yes.”  
  
\--   
  
It was 1999 and he had finally finished his three years of active duty. Leaning comfortably against Leonard’s tree during late summer, he grinned enthusiastically at his semi-existent audience. “So now I’m done with my assignment, and I’ll be off on my first peacekeeping mission soon! I’ll probably go for year or so and then come back for a month of leave. To think, I even finished all of that extra, ongoing training they threw at us! And I only ever had to bend the rules once to beat that damn Kobayashi Maru scenario.”  
  
Spock shot the blond the most disapproving look he could muster. “To put it simply: you cheated.”  
  
Jim shook his head in disagreement. “I didn’t cheat! I simply found an unconventional way to beat an unbeatable scenario. If anything,  _they_  were the ones who cheated by making us go through a simulation that couldn’t be beat!”   
  
“So you cheated,” Nyota repeated.  
  
“Stop saying that! It’s not cheating when you cheat a cheater! I mean, sure, they almost dishonourably discharged me for it, but apparently I argued my case well enough about how much leadership I demonstrated through my actions that I was promoted at the end. From this day on, I’m officially Captain Jim ‘Peacekeeping’ Kirk!”  
  
Sulu let out an impressed whistle. “An actual peacekeeping officer and captain now, hmm? That’s very impressive.”  
  
The Scotsman nodded in agreement. “Aye, and to think, we used to play pretend with him when he was just a wee lad. He used to be so small!”  
  
“And now he’s older and taller than me,” Pavel added with a slight pout.  
  
The Asian man shrugged. “To be fair, he’s taller than most of us now.”  
  
Bones rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe they actually accepted you. I feel bad for those poor sons of bitches whose lives are going to be in your hands.”  
  
He laughed lightly. “Thanks for the support, Bones.” Although things had been a little awkward at first ever since what transpired last year, it didn’t take very long for them to revert back to their old ways of interacting with one another. Bones had always been there for him, as a friend, as an advisor and as a confidant, and Jim wasn’t about to give any of that up. “But yeah, I guess a lot more people’s lives  _will_  be in my hands.”  
  
The brunet crossed his arms. “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now, Jim. I’m sure you’ll be fine. You’ll have people you know and trust there with you, won’t you?”  
  
With his thoughts straying back to Len who was currently waiting for him in Georgia, he perked up. “Oh, that’s right! I didn’t tell you about how I persuaded my medical officer to join me! You know my doctor roommate? The guy that was posted with me in the desert? He’s going to be dispatched with me. I personally made sure of it! It’s going to be  _fantastic_!”  
  
Uhura looked amused. “And just how did you ‘persuade’ the poor boy to follow you?”  
  
“I more or less proposed it to him when I was over at his place, meeting his family, last year. I got on one knee and everything, it was great! Man, he has the feistiest grandmother in the world.”  
  
The doctor frowned worriedly. “Didn’t you say he lives in Georgia?”  
  
“That’s right.”  
  
“Dammit, Jim! You could’ve gotten yourself killed by pulling such a stupid stunt! Proposing to a man in the open in the south? Good god, man, and just when I thought you couldn’t get any dumber! Unless you tell me that all the folks down there have changed and suddenly became those - what did you call them again? Those people from a couple decades back? ‘Hippies’? - then you’ve got to be the dumbest man in the country!”  
  
Jim laughed, always pleased to elicit such reactions from the brunet. “It was three in the morning and on his porch! No one was going to be up! Besides, I asked him to be my MO, not my spouse! I mean, sure, we’re sort of together now, and I have to admit, forbidden relationships make things just that much more fun and exciting, but still!”  
  
Bones wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You’re such an infant. Nobody needs or wants to hear about your sex life and your uncontrollable libido.”  
  
“Now you know how I felt when you were describing gangrene to me when I was younger,” Jim retorted easily. Then he added reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Bones. We’re really careful about all this, I promise. I know most people nowadays still don’t take kindly to these kinds of relationships, but as far as anyone’s concerned, he’s just my best friend from the army. I’d rather lie to the world for the rest of my life than to see either of us hurt.”  
  
The doctor nodded uncertainly. “Alright, Jim. As long as you’re both careful about this whole thing.”  
  
The blond grinned. “We will. Len’s too much of a worrywart not to. But don’t feel threatened, Bones, because you’ll always be my favourite tree fairy in the world; my personal giving tree. I read you that book when I was younger, remember?”  
  
The tree rolled his eyes. “That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear. Didn’t the boy fucking  _cut down_  the tree by the end of that story?” Then more seriously, he added, “You make sure that kid treats you real good, okay? Or else he’ll get an ass kicking from a tree fairy. And you make sure you behave or the only thing I’ll be giving  _you_  is a good ass kicking.”  
  
Blue eyes softened. “There’s no need to worry about me, Bones. I  _always_  behave. And he’s the best. He really is.”  
  
Leonard narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Hold it. There’s something you’re not telling me. Spill.”  
  
Jim huffed. “Dammit, Bones! Stop reading my mind!”  
  
“You should know better than to try to hide things from me, Jimboy.”  
  
He was hoping to avoid having to bring up this particular subject. Unsure of how to approach the topic, he simply blurted out as quickly as he could, “Len’s kind of your great-great-grandson.”  
  
Bones paused and stared at him. “What? Did I hear you right?”  
  
“Probably? Look, I didn’t know make the connection that he was related to you until his grandmother brought up your name.” Gently, he added, “They worship you in their family, Bones. Len’s great-grandma Jo is your daughter. It’s Joanna. She insisted that Len be named after you - she loved you so much. Apparently she talked about you a lot to her own daughters. She told them stories about you and Just James and all the other guys.”  
  
Hazel eyes softened at the mention of his daughter. “Sounds like she really did live a long, happy life then. I still can’t believe my baby girl had kids and grandkids. So this great-great-grandson of mine, he sounds like an alright fella’.”  
  
The blond nodded affirmatively. “Len’s definitely more than alright. He takes after you somewhat: a healer down to the bone. I think you’d like him. I bet a couple grumpy doctors like you two would have a blast getting on my case about all the idiotic things I do. Jesus, the two of you are really alike.”  
  
Leonard raised a brow at this but smiled in spite of himself. “Is that right? Well, I guess you better hold onto him real tight then. I’m happy for you, Jim. I really am.”  
  
Jim grinned playfully. “Did I mention that the sex is fantastic? I bet it runs in the family.”  
  
“Goddamn it, Jim! That’s the  _last_  thing I need to know about my great-great-grandkid!”  
  
\--  
  
Jim’s world came crashing down in 2000.   
  
That fall while on leave, as Jim drove through the town towards the cabin, he glanced over at the mountains and noticed something off. It looked browner, drier, and more barren than usual. Rolling down the window, he called out to one of the locals who was walking down the street, “Hey, excuse me? Did something happen up in the mountains?”  
  
The man frowned in confusion. “You didn’t hear? It was all over the news. Huge fires broke out during the summer, wiped out acres and acres of forest. We had to evacuate the town because of all the smoke. You should’ve seen it, boy. It took weeks just put it out-”  
  
Heart dropping down to his stomach, he didn’t wait for the man to finished as he stomped on the gas pedal. When he reached the cabin, he could see how dead the land had become. Racing out of his car without bothering to lock it, Jim took off towards the woods. Visually, nothing looked familiar, but his legs seemed to remember where to go.   
  
He almost didn’t realize that he had reached the clearing when he got there.   
  
Standing there, Jim could only stare in disbelief at the charred trees that surrounded him. “Bones…” Running over to the doctor’s tree, one of the few that were still standing, he placed his hands gently on the tree and pleaded, “Bones, please, come out. Please. You filthy liar, you said nothing would ever happen to you guys!”  
  
“…Jim?”  
  
Jim’s head snapped up towards the sound of the voice. “Bones!”  
  
Standing in front of him was the doctor, pale and transparent. Even though he was translucent, the man retained his usual personality as he scoffed. “I thought it might’ve been you. No one else would be this loud and obnoxious in a forest.”   
  
Feeling nothing but relief course through him, he took a deep breath. “Oh, thank god you’re still here…where are the others? Are they alright?”  
  
“They’ve moved on already, Jim. They wanted to wait for you but I guess their trees didn’t make it through the fire. They sent their regards though. And since this old boy here’s still standing, I figured I ought to stick around a little longer in case you came tumbling by to say goodbye.”  
  
Blue eyes darkened. “They’re gone? What do you mean goodbye!? You said that you wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon!”  
  
“I’m real sorry, Jim,” he said with a rueful smile. “There was a slight change of plans I guess.”  
  
“But the trees will grow back after awhile and then you guys can-”  
  
“Jim,” Bones cut him off. “I don’t think we’ll be coming back.”  
  
The despair hit him hard as he shook his head in denial. “Y-you of all people can’t just  _leave_  me here! What the hell am I supposed to do without you!?”  
  
Leonard shrugged lightly. “I think you’ll be just fine, Pretend-Space-Captain Jim ‘Peacekeeping’ Kirk.”  
  
“Don’t use that title against me.” Before he could protest any further, he noticed the doctor’s figure wavering. Not wanting his last words to the tree be ones spat out in anger, he swallowed hard and asked quietly, “…did you guys feel it?”  
  
The brunet shook his head. “No. We didn’t feel any of it. Thank god for small miracles.”  
  
“Bones, please don’t leave me. You’ve always been that one person who’s always been there for me no matter what. I couldn’t have done any of this without you. Don’t leave me. I’m  _begging_  you.”  
  
“Jim-”  
  
“Don’t leave, Bones. It terrifies me to even  _think_  about living in a world without you.” He had never felt more helpless in his life. “Please…”  
  
The doctor made a saddened expression. “Jim, I’m so sorry. Don’t make that kind of face at me. At least now I know you’ll be alright on your own. If this had happened a couple years earlier when you were running wild, I would’ve had to haunt you to make sure you were okay.”  
  
_“Leonard?”_  
  
The two of them turned to see a figure in the distance. It was one that Jim had never seen before. Looking over at Leonard, he asked, “Is that…?”  
  
The doctor nodded and shot him a rueful smile. “Seven kinds of stupid, that one. And bad timing too.”  
  
“Bones…” he pleaded weakly once more.  
  
Hazel eyes softened. “Look, I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but dammit, Jim, you’re going to be alright. You’re going to go out there and do the world a whole lot of good, and you going to help as many people as you can, and you’re going to do it all without us – just like you’ve been doing all along. We’re all real proud of you, kid. And on behalf of all the ‘tree fairies’ around here, I’d like to thank you for throwing yourself down that goddamn hill and for keeping old trees like us company for so many years.”  
  
Jim hastily wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. “Don’t be stupid, Bones. We both know that I was the one who benefited from all this. I should be the one thanking you for putting up with me for 15 years.”   
  
Bones’ eyebrows shot upwards. “My god, has it really been 15 years?”  
  
“It really has. You better tell that Just James to take real good care of you, or he’ll get his ass kicked by Captain Jim ‘Peacekeeping’ Kirk.”  
  
“And you tell that great-great-grandson of mine the same thing.” Leonard laughed lightly. “Take care of yourself, Jim. We’ll miss you like the dickens.” Then he held his hand up. “As the Vulcans say: live long and prosper.”  
  
Returning the gesture, he could only choke back the tears as he stood there and watched as Bones turned around and made his way towards the other figure. “Bones!”  
  
The doctor looked back questioningly.  
  
“In the next life…in the next life, even if it’s the end of the world, I’ll find you again! That’s a promise!”  
  
Leonard smiled and nodded. “Until the next life then, Jimboy. Just make sure you enjoy this one.”  
  
And that was the last time Jim ever saw Bones.  
  
\--

  
Epilogue:  
  
Glancing over his shoulder, Jim urged the other to pick up his pace. “Come on, Len, it’s over this way!”  
  
Len took a deep breath and glared at the blond. “I can’t believe you’re dragging me through the woods like a 5 year old, Jim. I’m way too old to be doing this.”  
  
He laughed. “What are you talking about? You’re still in your 30s! And you’ve been on duty with me for  _years_  now, you _can’t_  be unfit!”  
  
The brunet scowled. “You seem to be forgetting that I’m a doctor, not a marathon runner. Besides, I thought you said you were showing me where you spent most of your childhood.”  
  
“I am!”  
  
“Were you raised by wolves out here or something!?”  
  
Jim grinned. “No, I was raised by my parents and gentler things. Very old and wise creatures.”  
  
The doctor furrowed his brows in confusion. “Old and wise? Like trees? Oh god, are you turning into Pocahontas now? With what was her name again? Grandmother Willow? Wait, is that why you got upset at those kids who were carving drawings into those trees? Great, I’m stuck in the woods with a maniac.”  
  
“Don’t be like that. But yes, they were sort of trees. No, I’m not turning into Pocahontas, because if anything, I’d be a very handsome John Smith. And those brats had it coming.” Standing at the top of the hill, he felt a mix of happiness and nostalgia. “So when I was 11, I ran up this hill and pretty much took off from here and then tumbled all the way down.”  
  
Len rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. “For some reason, I have no problem imagining that. You must’ve been a crazy kid back in the day considering what you’re like now. That must’ve been one hell of a fall.”  
  
“Oh, it definitely was.” Making his way down, carefully as always, Jim made his way over to the remains of what used to be ‘Bones’ tree.’ “This, here, used to be sort of Bones. He came over to see if I was okay after I fell.”  
  
The brunet held a hand up to stop him. “Wait. Hold up there, Jim. Isn’t ‘Bones’ the friend from Montana that you used to talk about all the time. He was a  _tree_?”  
  
Jim shrugged. “I used to call him a 'tree fairy' but he insisted that he wasn’t one, so we settled for the term ‘tree spirit’ in the end. He wasn’t the only one here though. There was Uhura and Spock over there, Pavel and Sulu towards that direction, and Scotty, just a couple trees to the right here. You look confused.”  
  
“Yes, that would sum up the bulk of my feelings at the moment.”   
  
The blond chuckled. “They were real and I’m not crazy, I promise you.”  
  
Len frowned. “I suppose I’d have a harder time believing you if you didn’t call me, crying, that one year when the fires broke out.”  
  
“I’d never lie to you, Len. And I never will,” he spoke earnestly.  
  
The doctor raised an eyebrow sceptically. “Oh? What about that time with the monkey?”  
  
The blond raised his voice in protest. “That's the one exception to the rule! And to be fair, it was because it was  _really_ embarrassing! But I wouldn’t lie to you about these guys, I respect them way too much to do something like that.”  
  
Begrudgingly, Len found a tree to lean against and folded his arms expectantly. “Fine. Go on then. So were they tree fairies or ghosts or what?”  
  
A smile reached his lips. “Well, to explain that, I’m going to have to start by telling you the story of Bones and Just James. You better hold onto something tight, Len, because this story’s going to knock you off your feet. So it was a quiet day, one much like any other…”


End file.
